People and Places

Population

Southern Belize is home to approximately 14,00 Maya (nearlly 11,00 counted in this survey). Two Maya peoples -the Mopan and Ke'kchi- live in southern Belize. The Ke'kchi have the most numerous villages and population; the Mopan have the largest villages and most concentrated population. Most villages today are expanding and the population growth is obvious. In 1996, the Maya Mapping Project(MMP) census counted 10,694 individuals from some 2,004 households in southern Belize.

Southern Belize has two administrative districts, Toledo and Stann Creek. Bordering Guatemala on two sidees, Toledo is comprised of thirty-six Mayan villages located in the lowelands and uplands throughtout the region; twenty-four are Ke'kchi villages, six are Mopan, and six are mixed Mopan and Ke'kchi. Immediately north of Toledo District is Stann Creek District where six Maya villages are located. Five are Mopan and one is Ke'kche.

The Toledo District has been Mayan territory for many centuries. Mayan people were the first to occupy and use the land for subsistence agrilculture. Four thousand years ago, the Maya were occupying the land that is now known as Belize.

The Maya have had continuous occupation and use of these lands that are known today as southern Belize. This gives us right to ancestral claims and we are working to gain legal recognition for those rights from the government of Belize.