Belize Ambassador

Cultural Activities In Belize: Living With The Mayas

Belize countryBelize country might be small, but it is so environmentally diverse. Those who are looking for outdoor activities and adventures in the Belize travel are bound to find them everywhere. Exploration revolves around the rainforest and the sea. Memorable experiences are found in a wide range of habitats, from the high forested mountains, the lower coastal plains, savannahs and swamps, coastal lagoons and rivers, on out to the Great Barrier Reef with its coral sand islands. To learn more this best island vacation and its history, try any of the numerous Belize cultural activities.

Explore The Mayan Culture

The Maya entertains tourists with storytelling, music and dance, village tours and craft lessons. Spend one or more days with a Maya family to learn more about their culture. Help prepare a meal with crops freshly picked from the milpas, hike to nearby waterfalls and caves, work the fields with a Maya farmer, and ride in a dugout back to the village under the shade of tropical forests. For more information on spending a night in a Maya village, contact providers Belize vacation packages for their offerings and rates.

• Storytelling – Entertaining fables and folklore based on the histories of these native people have been passed down through generations. These ancient stories are shared with visitors, mostly told by an elder in the native Maya language (Mopan or Kekchi) and translated into English by a younger Maya villager.

• Music – Musicians play a range of instruments, including the flute, harp and the marimba. Dancers in cultural dresses accompany the musicians. The performance will last an hour mostly after supper, and should keep you entertained before you retire for the night.

• Craft Lessons – You might be taught how to make baskets from the jippi jappa plant, after learning the process of shredding, washing, bleaching and drying the fibers. During your hikes through the forest, your guide will point out the jippa jappa plant.

• Village Tour – This is a one-hour introduction of the layout of the village. The church, school and river show the smooth slab stones where the women used to scrub their clothes on. This is a great opportunity to learn the history and significance of every village and why it was founded.

• Farm Demo – Visitors are taken to the fields and shown the different types of crops grown, along with an explanation of planting and harvesting. If you are up to it, you can help with the many chores necessary to make the milpa produce.

• Cooking – Try your hand at patting out tortillas by the fire. Take not, though, that it is not as easy as it looks; after a few tries and some instruction from the women, you will have the puffing up light and fluffy. You can also try out cooking the other traditional dishes eaten by the villages. And once everything is cooked, you can also dig in.

Aside from the Mayas, the other natives in Belize should also have their own unique cultures and activities, something that you might also want to experience. Look for Belize vacation packages that offer these cultural activities and tours.