BELIZE
My first trip to Belize was in the 80's. 
Since then, I've returned several times travelling from north to south, east to west, and out to the cayes. 

The Mennonites originate from an enigmatic Anabaptist group that dates back to 16-century Netherlands. Belize has many different Mennonite communities.  Like the Amish of Pennsylvania, the Mennonites have strict religion-based values that keep them isolated in agricultural communities.  Speaking mostly Low German, they run their own schools, banks and churches.  Traditional groups reject any form of mechanization or technology (which explains the horse-drawn buggies).  Today, Belize has many different Mennonite communities.  The progressives speak English and have no qualms about using tractors or pickup  trucks; other groups are strongly conservative and shun modern technologies.*​​ ​             

The Mennonites originate from an enigmatic Anabaptist group that dates back to 16-century Netherlands.Belize has many different Mennonite communities.  Like the Amish of Pennsylvania, the Mennonites have strict religion-based values that keep them isolated in agricultural communities.  Speaking mostly Low German, they run their own schools, banks and churches.  Traditional groups reject any form of mechanization or technology (which explains the horse-drawn buggies).

Today, Belize has many different Mennonite communities.  The progressives speak English and have no qualms about using tractors or pickup trucks; other groups are strongly conservative and shun modern technologies.*
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A rich diversity is evident in the music of Belize, where you'll hear rhythms and instruments representing Creole and calypso, Maya and Garifuna.*

Bernhart talks about his Mennonite lifestyle.​

Thanks to my guide Edna, I was invited to photograph a Mennonite classroom.

Garifuna culinary traditions come from St. Vincent.  One of the most important staples, cassava, is a starch, like a sweet potato, used to make cassava bread.*

I stayed with Edna and her family for a few days.  

​She showed me her bee-keeping business.​

Punta rock can be frenetic or it can be mellow, but at its base are always fast rhythms designed to get the hips swiveling.*
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David talks about how his back injury has affected his farm work.​

Mennonite farms now supply most of the country's dairy products, eggs and poultry.*
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The Vanishing Mennonites

Denying cultural expression means limiting the expression of unique perspectives on life and the transmission of knowledge from generation to generation.

​Today, the Mennonite communities have helped Belize develop a solid, sustainable agricultural industry that was key to its independence. There have been complaints that they often do so with no regard for the environment or environmental laws and that the environmental impact of their farming methods leads to large-scale deforestation.
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Possibly the biggest party you'll find in Belize, Garifuna Settlement Day celebrates the arrival of the Garifuna people to the shores of Belize in 1832, and is marked by a full day-long festival of traditional Garifuna music, drumming, dance, food and, of course, copious spirits and libations.  The highlight of the festival is the reenanctment of the landing itself, when locals head out from the beaches of Dangriga in boats and ride back to shore waving banana leaves and palms fonds to symbolize the cassava that sustained their ancestors on their long journey.*




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Shortly after the Garifuna arrived in Central America, they started melding African percussion and chanting with Spanish-style acoustic guitar and Latin rhythms.*

John describes the various machines he uses.​

Furniture-making is another Mennonite specialty and you'll often see them selling their goods at markets.*
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*These captions are from Belize -- a Lonely Planet travel guide. ​