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Belize History, Ambergris Caye History

America from about 2000 B.C. to about 1000 A.D.
These short, muscular built, red-skinned Indians
built great temples, made astonishing artifacts, tools
and pottery, carved their history on slabs of stelae
and made scholastic achievements that forever changed the world. They were great
astronomers, created an efficient calendar, derived their own writing system and
developed ingenious mathematical concepts including the concept of 0.

Among their greatest achievements was that they managed to devise a fantastic trade
route throughout Central America from Mexico to as far off as Roatan Island, Honduras.
It is believed that the first Mayan setters that occupied Ambergris Caye totaled 10,000,
inhabited almost every part of the island and initially set up fishing villages. As their
settlements progressed they converted their settlements into trading centers.

To better accommodate their trading, it is believed that the Mayans dug a narrow channel,
less than a mile long and no wider than a few feet, at the northern most tip of the Caye.
Actually, Ambergris Caye is not really a caye but rather the end of the Yucatan Peninsula.
The channel separates Ambergris Caye from Mexico and allowed the Mayans to cut their
travel time considerably, since they no longer had to travel all the way around the island to
get to northern mainland Belize and Chetumal Bay. Today the channel is called Bacalar
Chico and is a marine reserve.

Very scientifically advanced, the Maya had a system of mathematics more advanced than
Europe. They had a detailed written language, and as farmers, they raised corn along with
tobacco, cacao, cotton, and other vegetables.

Ambergris Caye History- by The Maya had this really great system, the village, the
Acolde, the Village common land where the Acolde
George Parham
(mayor) gave permission for each villager (and where) to
Ambergris Caye History- by
make milpa.
Glenn Godfrey
Maya History Ten Hectares is sufficient to feed a family of 7 for ever
and one day. As they need to only plant one Hectares per
Early History of Belize,
year and in ten it is ready to do over.
Glyphs, Timeline
150th Anniversary of San The Spanish were
Pedro Town astounded by the
Field Guide to Ambergris "easy" life the Maya
Caye had. In six months of
work they could grow
Angel Nuñez' column "25
enough food to feed
Years Ago on Ambergris
themselves with
Caye"
enough left over for
Herman Smith's column on trade for other necessities. The other six months of the

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