Sights in Belize
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Government House
Fronting the sea down at the end of Regent St, this handsome two-story wooden colonial mansion served as the residence of Britain's superintendents and governors of Belize from the building's construction in 1814 until 1996. The house, one of the oldest in Belize, is now a cultural center and museum – worth a visit for its historical exhibits, colorful displays of modern Belizean art, spacious colonial ambience and grassy gardens. It was here, at midnight on September 21, 1981, that the Union Jack was ceremonially replaced with the Belizean flag to mark the birth of independent Belize. Displayed in the gardens is the tender from Baron Bliss' yacht.
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Hol Chan Visitor Center
For information and displays on marine life, visit the Hol Chan Visitor Center.
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Old Market & Customs House
Built in 1886, this fine old Spanish Colonial building once housed a bustling market and customs house. It was one of only 11 buildings spared by Hurricane Janet in 1955. Nowadays, the historic building is supposed to house a cultural center and museum, with exhibits of local artifacts and a reproduction of a Maya-Mestizo hut. Unfortunately the museum was closed at the time of research with no information available about when it might reopen.
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Bacalar Chico National Park & Marine Reserve
At the northern tip of Ambergris Caye, Bacalar Chico is part of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage Site, declared in 1996. At the time of research, the park was only accessible by a 90-minute tour-boat ride from San Pedro or Sarteneja.
On the way up from San Pedro, boats might stop at Cayo Iguanu, better known as 'bird island,' as it is the nesting ground for the roseate spoonbill and the reddish-brown egret. The next stop is the San Juan ranger station, at the northern tip of the island, where there is a nature trail and some small Maya ruins to explore. From here, the boat motors through the ancient channel that was dug by seafaring Maya about 1500…
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Ball Court
Not far west of Stela 9 is Lamanai's ball court, one of the smallest in the Maya world – but with the largest ball-court marker found yet! A ceremonial vessel containing liquid mercury, probably from Guatemala, was found beneath the marker.
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Baron Bliss Tomb
At the tip of the Fort George peninsula lies the granite Baron Bliss Tomb, the final resting place of Belize's most famous benefactor, who never set foot on Belizean soil while alive. Next to the tomb stands the Fort George Lighthouse, one of the many benefits the baron's munificence has yielded the country.
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Blue Morpho Butterfly Farm
Everything you ever wanted to know about the beautiful blue morpho butterfly. For example: there are more than 50 species of morphos that vary in size and color. This educational center allows visitors to see these mysterious creatures at all stages – as a brownish caterpillar (who will secrete a stink bomb if disturbed) and an iridescent blue beauty (who might just alight on your shoulder).
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Branch Mouth
Branch Mouth is the meeting place of the Mopan River, coming from Guatemala, and the Macal River, flowing down from Mountain Pine Ridge. The confluence of these rivers forms the beginning of the Belize River, which flows northeast to the sea.
The surrounding parkland is home to an abundance of birdlife as well as an iguana reserve. The confluence of these rivers forms a sweet swimming hole, which is an enticing prospect on a hot day. To get there, cycle or walk 1.5 miles north on scenic Branch Mouth Rd to the Hammock Bridge.
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Butterfly Jungle
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Caye Caulker Forest Reserve
The northernmost 100 acres of the island constitute the Caye Caulker Forest Reserve, also declared in 1998. The littoral forest on Caye Caulker is mostly red, white and black mangrove, which grows in the shallow water. The mangroves' root systems support an intricate ecosystem, including sponges, gorgonians, anemones and a wide variety of fish. Besides the mangroves, the forest contains buttonwood, gumbo-limbo (the 'tourist tree'), poisonwood, madre de cacao, ficus and ziracote. Coconut palms and Australian pines are not native to this region, but there is no shortage of them.
Birdlife is prolific in the mangrove swamp, especially wading birds such as the tricolored heron…
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Colonial Structures
Some 400yd south of Jaguar Temple are the remains of the thick stone walls of two Spanish churches, which were built by Maya forced labor from the remains of a temple. The southern church was built in 1544, and the northern one in the 1560s. Both were destroyed by the Maya, the second one in the 1640 rebellion. Unknown to the Spanish, the Maya placed sacred objects such as crocodile figurines inside the churches while building them. A 300yd path opposite the churches leads to the partly overgrown remains of a 19th-century sugar mill.
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Corozal Museum
Called 'A Window to the Past', the exhibit at this little museum focuses on the experience of the East Indian population, who arrived around 1838 as indentured servants working on the sugar plantations. The museum is located about a half-mile south of town right on the Northern Hwy.
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Drums of Our Father's Monument
This monument in the traffic circle south of Dangriga's main bus station underscores the importance of percussion in Garifuna (and Belizean) life, with its large bronze representations of ritual dügü drums and sisira (maracas). It was sculpted by Stephen Okeke, a Nigerian resident of Dangriga. Up at the other end of town, at the meeting of Commerce and Front Sts, stands a statue of Thomas Vincent Ramos (1887–1955), an early promoter of Garifuna culture, who also inaugurated Garifuna Settlement Day.
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Fort Barlee
At the center of town, this fort was built in 1849 by Caste War refugees for protection from attacks by hostile Maya. Remains of the brick corner turrets are still visible on the fort site.
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High Temple
North of the ball court, across a plaza shaded by trees, is Structure N10-43, the highest at Lamanai, which rises 125ft above the jungle canopy. Few large buildings in the Maya world were built as early as this one, which was initially constructed around 100 BC. This grand ceremonial temple was built from nothing on a site that had previously been residential, which indicated a dramatic surge in Lamanai's importance at the time. You can climb to its summit for fabulous panoramas over the rest of Lamanai, the New River Lagoon, and plains and forests stretching out on all sides.
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Jaguar Temple
This temple (Structure N10-9), fronting a 100yd-wide plaza, was built in the 6th century AD and modified several times up to at least the 15th century – a fine example of the longevity of the Lamanai settlement. The stone patterning on the lowest-level turns depicts two cleverly designed jaguar faces, dating from the initial 6th-century construction. On the opposite (north) side of the plaza is a set of buildings that were used as residences for Lamanai's royal elite.
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Marie Sharp's Factory
The super-hot bottled sauces that adorn tables all over Belize and beyond are made from habanero peppers (purchased from local farmers) here, at Marie Sharp's Factory, 8 miles northwest of town on Melinda Rd. Casual tours, often led by Marie herself, are offered during business hours, and the factory shop sells hot sauces and jams at outlet prices. If you can't make it to the factory but would still like to peruse the full line of sauces and jams, Marie Sharp's also has a store in Dangriga.
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Mask Temple
To the northeast along a jungle path, the Mask Temple (Structure N9-56) was begun around 200 BC and was modified several times up to AD 1300. It has a 13ft stylized mask of a man in a crocodile headdress emblazoned on the southern part of its west face. Dating from about AD 400, this is one of the finest big masks in the Maya world, and unusual in that it is made of limestone blocks rather than plaster. A similar mask is hidden beneath the facade on the northern side. Deep within this building archaeologists found the tombs of a man adorned with shell and jade jewelry, and a woman from almost the same date. The pair are thought to be a succession of leaders – perhaps a…
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Maya Structures
At the far north end of the Lamanai site, and often missed by tour groups, this large platform, 120yd by 100yd in area, supports several large buildings up to 92ft high. Next to it is a river inlet that once formed an ancient harbor.
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Pen Cayetano Studio Gallery
Renowned throughout Belize for his art and music, Pen Cayetano's workshop and gallery displays Garifuna artifacts and crafts. They also have works of art and music by Pen and the textile artwork of his wife, Ingrid, available for sale. Among the most unique items are drums made of turtle shells, which sell for around BZ$50. There are also occasional musical shows by Pen and drum workshops led by local drummers.
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San Ignacio & Santa Elena House of Culture
Opened in 2010, this small museum displays works by artists from Belize as well as arranging performances, classes and interactive happenings (occasionally extending past normal operating hours). Museum curators are looking for a larger space, so by the time you read this the museum may be elsewhere in San Ignacio, but for now it's right underneath the Town Council building.
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Santa Rita
Santa Rita was an ancient Maya coastal town that once occupied the same strategic trading position as present-day Corozal Town, namely the spot between two rivers – the Rio Hondo (which now forms the Belize–Mexico border) and the New River (which enters Corozal Bay south of town). Much of Santa Rita remains unexcavated, but it's worth a short excursion out of town to explore the site.
To reach the Maya site, head out of town on Santa Rita Rd. Continuing north on the main highway toward Mexico, turn left at the Super Santa Rita store. Some 350yd past the store you'll find a wooded area on the right and in its midst a partially restored pyramid offering an amazing view…
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Stela 9
North of the elite residential complex, this intricately carved standing stone in front of Structure N10-27 was erected in AD 625 to commemorate the accession of Lord Smoking Shell in AD 608. He is shown in ceremonial regalia, wearing a rattlesnake headdress with quetzal feathers at the back, and holding a double-headed serpent bar diagonally across his body, with a deity emerging from the serpent's jaw at the top. The remains of five children – ranging in age from newborn to eight – were buried beneath the stela. Archaeologists believe the burial must have been highly significant, since offerings are not usually associated with the dedication of monuments.
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Swing Bridge
This heart and soul of Belize City life, crossed by just about everyone here just about every day, is the only remaining manually operated bridge of its type in the world. Its operators rotate the bridge open, usually at about 6am and 5:30pm, Monday to Saturday, just long enough to let tall boats pass, bringing vehicles and pedestrians in the city center to a halt. It's quite a procedure, and if you're in the right place at the right time, you might even get to help out. The bridge, a product of Liverpool's ironworks, was installed in 1923, replacing an earlier bridge that had opened in 1897.
The Swing Bridge is ground zero for hustlers looking to part tourists from their…
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Town Hall
A colorful and graphic mural by Belizean-Mexican artist Manual Villamor Reyes enlivens the lobby of the town hall. The mural depicts episodes from Corozal history including the War of the Castes, with the talking cross and the fall of Bacalar; the flight of refugees into British Honduras; the founding of Corozal; and Hurricane Janet. Across from the town hall, the landmark clock tower dominates the park.
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