It actually took me a moment to recognize this street in the photo, taken in 1993, because at first glance, I thought it might have been from the 1980s. I have this habit of looking at old island images and imagining they were from my dad’s youth, only to get the rude awakening that I can remember when San Pedro still looked like a small fishing village.
The truth is, this was not that long ago. San Pedro looked like this well into the ’90s, and it’s really only in recent years that we’ve seen such a dramatic transformation in the face of Ambergris Caye. It still baffles me when I think about how quickly it has all changed.
I had to look closely for landmarks to pinpoint the location, this is Sandpiper Street, just north of downtown. Back then, it wasn’t paved. The photo shows a mother glancing back at her daughter, who’s hurrying to catch up, likely heading home after a day in the sea. Swimming off the docks was our everyday pastime. It was so easy then: lock up the house, take a few steps, and you were at the shore.
Sandpiper is now a Busy Street
Today, Sandpiper Street is a very different place. It’s paved now and home to one of the busiest intersections on the island, the San Juan roundabout, helping to ease traffic between town and the Boca del Rio area that connects to North Ambergris Caye. The street and its connecting roads are lined with thriving businesses: Tacos La Diosa, Caye Mart, Richie’s Supermarket, Castillo’s Hardware, Esmeralda Suites, SP Home Center, Sandbar Hostel, and Blue Tang Inn, to name a few.
It’s incredible to think that the quiet little street in that photo is now a bustling hub. The memories are still there, though, hidden in the salt air, the sound of the waves, and the stories we tell of the days when life here was slower, simpler, and the sea was just a short walk away.
