A warmer melting pot

By Ben Olson
Reader Staff

As far back as the 18th century, the melting pot metaphor was used to describe the fusion of various cultures, nationalities, religions and ethnic groups into one distinct people.

Fast forward two-and-a-half centuries later and America’s “melting pot” more resembles a fiery crucible. One of President Donald Trump’s first actions after taking office in 2017 was to initiate a “Muslim ban,” which prohibited travel and resettlement from select predominantly Muslim countries. Lately, on the campaign trail, Trump has claimed he will institute “extreme vetting” for immigrants, or an ideological purity test in order to, “only admit into this country those who share our values and respect our people.”

There is a place, however, where the melting pot is a bit warmer and kinder than here in the states. 

With a national population equal to the city of Minneapolis and a land mass the size of Rhode Island, Belize is a small nation with a big heart. The demographic composition of this tropical country is one of the most diverse societies in the world. Unbelievably, most people seem to live in harmony with one another.

The majority of Belize’s population are Mestizo, which is a mixture of Spanish and Maya. It is then followed by Maya, Creole (or Kriol), the Chinese and Garifuna — the latter descending from an Afro-Indigenous population that was exiled from the Caribbean island of St. Vincent to the Honduran coast in the 1700s, and from there eventually made their way to Belize. Kriols are the descendants of British settlers and African slaves who were brought to Belize in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Finally, there are Mennonites who also contribute to the majority of the country’s population, as well as small portions of Jamaicans, Lebanese and expats from the U.S. and the U.K.

A conservative group of Christians who live in closed communities and shun modern technology, Mennonites are particularly interesting in Belize. More than 3,000 moved en masse from Canada by way of Mexico during the 1950s and now number more than 12,000. The Mennonites are often seen traveling to and from their farms in horse-drawn carriages. Their arrival followed an agreement with the Belizean government, which offered them land, religious freedom and exemption from certain taxes, in return for access to the fruits of the Mennonites’ agricultural labor. Even though they only make up 4% of the country’s population, Mennonites are responsible for the vast majority of domestic poultry and dairy production, as well as other food crops.

The Maya are made up of three distinct groups living in Belize, grouped for their dialect and origins; the Yucatan Maya migrated from the south of Mexico, the Mopan Maya immigrated from the Petén region of Guatemala and the Q’eqchi’ (or Kekchi) Maya moved to Belize from the area of San Pedro Carchá in Guatemala. Although Mayans clashed repeatedly with Spanish forces in other parts of Central America, the heavily rural areas of Belize went largely untouched, and several Mayan ruins remain preserved, as well as language, beliefs, music and traditional ways.

Many of the Chinese immigrants moved to Belize as entrepreneurs and now own and operate large grocery stores, along with restaurants.

It is this diverse population that has led to a wide variety of cuisines offered throughout the country, as well as multiple languages spoken fluently. It’s not uncommon for Belizeans to speak three languages, with English being the official language of the country. Also spoken frequently are Spanish, Mandarin, Hindi, German, Garifuna, Maya, Kriol and several native dialects with their origins in the distant past.

While we are experiencing a period of existential struggle with our own cultural issues in the U.S., Belize continues to show to all who travel there that it is possible to live in harmony with our neighbors, no matter what they look like, what god they worship, what food they eat or what language they speak. 

Perhaps we all need to spend a few days on the beaches, jungles and farmlands of Belize to remember that diversity can be a good and healthy thing for a nation.

Especially ours.