More on Buried Treasures in San Pedro
The buried treasurers at “Boca Ciega” (Blind Mouth) that were described a few issues ago are not the only treasurers found on Ambergris Caye. We know that there is buried jade at Marco Gonzalez Maya ruins for villagers have claimed to have extracted a jade head and sold it for a couple hundred dollars. Villagers […]
No Ice 25 Years Ago
There are many things we take for granted, don’t we? Some of us take our spouses for granted and forget to tell them we love them. Some take life for granted and forget to give God our thanks, for He is the “giver of life”. One thing we take for granted today that we did […]
The Moon and San Pedro's Horoscope
Today people in San Pedro only look at the moon to admire it. If you happen to look up and it is there, you cannot resist the temptation of admiring its splendor. Thomas Kirkpatrick spends a whole month vacationing in San Pedro and spends more time on his verandah admiring the moon and stars and […]
Buried Treasures of Ambergris Caye
Did you know that there are buried treasures on Ambergris Caye? Do you know that if you find it, you would be a millionaire? It is claimed that part of it has been dug and found, but chances are there is still some more, and it won’t spoil for it is in gold coins and […]
Recycling Twenty Five Years Ago
So the environmental restoration project signed by our Area Representative and managed by Rojas Schulz and Nelder is looking at waste management control. They are telling us that waste management ensures that garbage is lessened and the best way to do this is to REUSE as much as possible. Very true. Did you know that […]
Sanpedrano in Jail
There are things that happen daily in a large metropolis or town but they occur so rarely in small towns like San Pedro. Twenty five years ago when a baby was born in the village, it was a cause for celebration and the entire village talked about and was anxious to know the baby and […]
Why Whip the Animals?
Last week’s edition of this column carried an article about lashing children at home, the school, on the street and in jail. Certainly that is unheard of today as you would have everybody on your case beginning from Human Rights Commission right down to the “National Alliance for the Preservation and Protection of the Cockroach” […]
A Saint After a Good Lashing
The success of the column “Twenty Five Years Ago” has been such that now two other newspapers carry similar columns in Belize. The Belize Times and The Reporter have borrowed this same title that was started by your humble servant in 1992. Recently one of the articles in the Reporter talked about lashing given in […]
Let's Kill the Big Bad Shark
So there are these big bad crocodiles threatening animals and people and we are all concerned about to handle this matter. Well, let me tell you that this is not an unusual case for twenty five years ago there were many of these such problems and the folks only knew to handle it one way. […]
Let's Go Check The Lobster Traps
Making the rounds to check the crayfish path 25 years ago was like a ritual to the fishermen and perhaps a bit different today. First of all you got to your spot 2 or 3 or 4 miles from the village with your dory, either using a small sail, two paddles, or a pole. Late […]
When Lobsters Were in Abundance
Eight hundred pounds of lobster tails in the first day of delivery at the fishing cooperative! Wow! That is heartbreaking. When Edwardo quoted that figure which he had obtained from the manager of Caribeña Fishing Co-operative, I could not help but take my mind into the 1950’s when I used to help my dad during […]
Tastey Cocoplum Jelly
If you have not had cocoplum jelly, you have missed one of the most exotic fruit jellies in the Island and perhaps in the tropics. But you can have it this month after I give you the simple recipe because the month of June and July is cocoplum season in San Pedro. But first I […]
Exposing Some Skin – The Bikini!
A common sight on the beaches and streets today are the bikinis and swimsuits. They were originally intended for swimming and to bring out the beauty of the body of women. We in San Pedro first saw bikinis in the movies at a time when our ladies of San Pedro totally refused to show their […]
What It Felt Like To Live in British Honduras
Everyone who was born before 1973 was not born as a Belizean, but rather as a citizen of British Honduras. British Honduras was a colony of Great Britain; therefore we were British so to speak, even though we were not citizens of England or Great Britain. To begin with the passports we held clearly said […]
Nails In The Kitchen
Last week I placed two nails near your entrance door and the purpose was to hang two hats in your house 25 years ago when using hats were common. Today I want to take you through another and different custom of the 50’s. First of all you need to realize that the kitchens of the […]
The Nail Near The Entrance Door
Would you place a nail on the wall near your entrance door? Would you hang anything other than decorations on the wall of your house? If you were to go back in time in the forties and fifties, you would find in each house one or two nails right near the entrance door of the […]
What's All In A Sea Turtle?
Last week we enjoyed the manner in which sea turtles or the loggerheads are captured. It is a simple art that came natural to most Sanpedranos. On a typical afternoon in May there were up to ten sailing boats trawling outside the reef and hunting for the monster “cawamos” as they were called in Spanish. […]
Stories About Loggerhead Turtles
It is obvious that today people see the turtle, the loggerhead turtle, different today than 25 years ago. Back then as soon as you say a turtle it meant some fun and adventure and food, of course. Today it is: “See me, admire me, protect me.” Back then if you said you missed a turtle […]
Photography Big is Better
The other day I forgot to take my camera to a very important event and I felt that I could not forgive myself for it. Fortunately we were able to drive to a neighboring town and purchase one of those disposable cameras. At the function, as we took photographs, some friends laughed at me due […]
Let's Make a Vivero
Before we make a vivero, I need to tell you what is a “vivero”. It is a vessel in which you could keep your fish alive after you had caught them with your fishing line. The word “vivir” means to live and “vivo” is alive, therefore a “vivero” is where a fisherman would keep his […]
Protection For Your Feet
Twenty-five years ago, and that would be in the 1940’s and 50’s, people in San Pedro absolutely wore no shoes. The sole of men’s feet were so thick you would think that they could walk over burning coal. The feet were so thick and strong that the boys of San Pedro were teased that they […]
Are the Beaches Eroding?
If the beaches had not been reclaimed, that is, made wider and higher, the sight at the seaside would look deplorable. To get an idea of how wide our beaches used to be, I will take you for a walk at some well-known spots in town and you will see exactly what I mean when […]
Lovely yet Dreadful "Aguamalas"
Where have those millions of man o wars gone? Why do we not see them drifting aimlessly and gracefully over the reef, and bouncing up and down to the rhythm of the waves? Why do we not see these “aguamalas” lying on the beach, suddenly looking powerless and beginning to wilt and deflate and die? […]
The Magic of "Ajo" or Garlic
Twenty five years ago, people did not only use garlic as a seasoning in food. It had a lot more uses than it is being used for nowadays. Ajo was commonly seen tied in bunches and hanging over the main door of a house or the main entrance of a store. It was believed that […]
Crazy things that Work
Some of my recent topics on the suffering of “bascas” and the way to cure warts might have sound crazy, but a lot of people have remarked how true and effective they are. In fact a lot of friends have even confirmed to me names of dead persons that were helpful in getting rid of […]