Plants of the Maya

The Maya and Belize

Today Belize is a mix of cultures with Maya, Mestizo, Garifuna, Creole, Mennonite, Spanish, English, combinations of all these ethnic groups and then some. The Maya were here long before all the rest (since 2500BC). It is estimated that 400,000 to 1,000,000 Maya inhabited the country at one time, which is more people than we have in Belize now!

The Rainforest = One Stop Shopping

The Maya knew how to make all they needed from the forests around them. This traditional knowledge was handed down generation to generation as part of their cultural identity. For the Maya this meant knowing how to survive from the forests, pray to the gods, heal the sick and make floors from the earth. Some practices are still used today.

You can learn a little about native plants used by the native people of Belize on our 'Plants of the Maya' trail. You'll see what plants were used for clothes, storage, tools, building, ritual and medicine. We got carried away learning about traditional plant use and made two trails! One is an easier walk in the main garden and the other is through natural forest where the going is a bit tougher. Explore either or both with a guided walk or self-guiding booklet.

Did you know?

Corn tortillas were a staple in the Maya diet. Tortillas are made using masa. Masa is ground corn mixed with stuff called 'white lime' or 'cal'. White lime is made by baking limestone which is acidic. Once it is baked it is powder fine and alkaline. When white lime is added to the corn to make masa for corn tortillas it actually makes them more nutritious. How do you think the Maya figured this out? Don't ask me.