Background

At the southernmost reaches of Belize, the district of Toledo has remained relatively inaccessible for most of the nation’s colonial and independent history. Cut off from the majority of the national population by poor roads inundated by heavy rainfall, this region has only recently begun to witness the beginnings of economic growth present in the northern and western parts of the country. Despite its relative seclusion in recent history, this region experienced social and economic success during the Early and Late Classic periods of Maya civilization. Today, only the ruins of cities such as Lubaantun, Nim Li Punit, Uxbenká, and Pusilha remain; Maya people, however, still reside in the Toledo District and form the majority of the population.

Q’eqchi’ and Mopan speaking communities dot the rolling hills that flank the Maya Mountains. Though the present communities were established during the late-19th and 20th centuries, Maya peoples inhabited the region throughout the colonial period in what were believed to be small settlements deep in the lush, forested interior. Legal and academic debates over the ethnic relationship between the former residents of local Classic period sites (who were likely Cholan speaking) and those currently residing in Toledo have raged since the 1980s. Many Belizeans, including the present government, believe that the Q’eqchi’ and Mopan Maya are Guatemalans and not indigenous peoples of Belize. The absence of national borders during the precolonial period and the ease of mobility between what are now the neighboring nations of Guatemala and Belize, however, indicate that despite no direct lineage, the Maya people of Toledo are descendants of the pre-Hispanic Maya that have consistently inhabited the region for thousands of years.

The communities of the Toledo District remain some of the most economically disadvantaged in the nation. While most have now acquired potable water systems, many still lack electricity and health clinics. Employment is varied and many have been forced to abandon traditional subsistence farming practices due to unfair land distribution policies and the increasing lure of participating in the cash economy.

The main problem concerning cultural heritage in this region is not organized looting run by professional gangs, as in other regions, but rather opportunistic looting conducted by those whose primary concern is to support their families. Despite the inaccessibility of many communities, it is well known that the sale of an ancient Maya artifact could fetch a hefty reward. Those who plunder the archaeological remains for objects to sell are usually oblivious to the fact that the object they sold for a small sum is worth a hundred times the amount in North America, Europe, and Asia.

While there is a clear economic incentive to the destruction of archaeological heritage in this region, it is equally clear that there has been a breakdown in efforts to communicate the value of Maya cultural heritage to local people. Traditional spiritual relationships to ancestral sites as seen in Guatemala are not present in Toledo – perhaps due to the recent immigration of modern Maya communities, the prevalence of Evangelical religions, and the dominance of Western educational systems. Thus while many recognize the ancient Maya as ancestors, they have become disconnected from the meaning and importance of the places they left behind.

Communities in the Toledo District with which MACHI is currently working.