Mestizo: These are people of Spanish and Mayan descent and comprise about half the population.
Garinagu: These are people descended from the Black Caribs in the area.
Mennonite: Some of the first Mennonites came from Canada and the United States in the 1950s.
Hindu: Most of the Hindus came from India to Jamaica and then to Belize
Chinese: Like many peoples, the Chinese were brought over to work in Belize
Mayan: The only group who was originally here before the colonization of Belize
To celebrate Belize's rich history, St. Peter's School had a cultural day on Friday. It was their first one. The goal was to honor all the main ethnicity in Belize by wearing clothes unique to each group.I cannot tell you how cute it was to see little Mennonites, and Hindus running around the playground!
Sulmi in a traditional Mestizo dress |
Sulmi and her classmates - Yasuri and Shamika |
Morine and her sister, Adrienne in Garifuna dress |
“There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit