Toledo District is the southernmost

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wa ...

, and Punta Gorda is the District capital. It is the second most developed region in the country (according to the

Human Development Index The Human Development Index (HDI) is a statistic composite index of life expectancy, education (mean years of schooling completed and expected years of schooling upon entering the education system), and per capita income indicators, w ...

(HDI)). The district has a diverse topography which features

rainforests Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainforest, ...

, extensive cave networks, coastal lowland plains, and offshore cays. Toledo is home to a wide range of cultures: Mopan and Kekchi Maya, Creole, the

Garifuna The Garifuna people ( or ; pl. Garínagu in Garifuna) are a people of mixed free African and indigenous American ancestry that originated in the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent and speak Garifuna, an Arawakan language, and Vincentian Cr ...

East Indians The East Indians, also called East Indian Catholics or Bombay East Indians, are an ethno-religious Indian Christian community native to the Seven Islands of Bombay and the neighbouring Mumbai Metropolitan Area of the Konkan Division. Hist ...

, Mennonites, Mestizos, and descendants of US Confederate

settlers A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer. Settle ...

Geography

The District has many villages, including Monkey River Town and the

Toledo Settlement ''Forest Home'' is a town in Belize's Toledo District. Forest Home is located at , at an elevation of 37 meters above sea level. It was originally settled by Caucasian American refugees from the United States The United States of America ...

; the Maya villages of

San Pedro Columbia San Pedro Columbia is a village in Toledo District, Belize, located about two miles from the ancient Maya ruins of Lubaantun. In 2000 San Pedro Columbia had a population of about 700 people. The population is mostly Kekchi Maya with some Mop ...

, Blue Creek, Indian Creek, Santa Cruz,

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

, San Jose, San Felipe; and the Garifuna village of Barranco. It also has a number of Maya ruins, including Lubaantun,

Nim Li Punit Nim Li Punit () is a Maya Classic Period site in the Toledo District of the nation of Belize, located 50 kilometres north of the town of Punta Gorda, and directly adjacent to the village of Indian Creek. Nim Li Punit is sometimes known as Big Ha ...

, Uxbenka, and

Pusilha Pusilhá is an archaeological site in Belize. The location of this Late Classic Maya urban complex, along the east and west flow of trade, made the city a major transfer point for economic activities in the whole region. In addition, the city gave ...

. According to the 2010 census, Toledo District had a

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction usi ...

of 30,538 people.

Economy

The economy of Toledo relies heavily upon agriculture: crops grown include beans and corn, as well as rice which is sold to the Big Falls Rice Mill. Cacao is grown organically and sold via the Toledo Cacao Growers Association to Green & Black's for their renowned Maya Gold chocolate, as well as to chocolatiers within Belize. The District's ancient and modern-day links with chocolate are celebrated annually in May (Commonwealth Day Holiday weekend) at the Toledo Cacao Festival. Farmers grow additional crops such as coffee, yams, sweet potato, hot chili peppers, avocado, oranges and plantain for sale at the market in Punta Gorda, held each Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Fishermen practice small-scale fishing from their dug-out canoes, as well as diving for lobster and conch during open season. The Port Honduras Marine Reserve just north of Punta Gorda Town is a protected area, and Toledo's waters are regarded as the permit capital of Belize. Many traditional fishermen have now trained as fly-fishing guides through the alternative livelihood projects offered by local conservation groups. Tourism is an important, and relatively new, industry for Toledo. Once regarded as an area only for the hardy and adventurous, the opening of new tourist accommodation and the development of tours, as well as a growing awareness of the district's high proportion of protected areas, wildlife, excellent birding and the offshore cayes, have resulted in Toledo being recognized as an important ‘emerging destination’.

Language

According to the 2010 census, Mayan languages are spoken by 68.4% of the population. This makes Toledo the only district in Belize where native languages are spoken by a majority.

Gallery

File:Blue Creek River, Belize.jpg, Blue Creek River, Belize File:Monkey River Village, Toledo District, Belize.jpg, Monkey River Village File:San Miguel Branch, Toledo District, Belize.jpg, San Miguel Branch File:Swasey Branch, Toledo District, Belize.jpg, Swasey Branch File:Looking towards the Maya Mountains from the fire watchtower.jpg, Bladen Reserve looking towards the Maya Mountains File:Southern Highway, Toledo District, Belize.jpg, Southern Highway

Transportation

The Toledo District is served by the newly paved Southern Highway, as well as several bush roads to the many rural villages in the District. A regular bus service is provided by Punta Gorda-based James Bus Line, shuttling passengers between the other districts, also Punta Gorda Town is served by several daily commuter flights on Tropic Air and Maya Island Air and small, family run bus services that transport passengers to and from the rural villages. jroad

Events

Each year, during the

Commonwealth Day Commonwealth Day (formerly Empire Day) is the annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations, since 1977 often held on the second Monday in March. It is marked by an Anglican service in Westminster Abbey, normally attended by the monarch a ...

weekend, Toledo hosts the Chocolate Festival of Belize. The festival features

chocolatier A chocolatier is a person or company who makes confectionery from chocolate. Chocolatiers are distinct from chocolate makers, who create chocolate from cacao beans and other ingredients. Education and training Traditionally, chocolatiers, ...

s from across the country as well as

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec ci ...

-related arts and crafts. According to the project coordinator for the Toledo Cacao Growers Association Thomas Tillett, the Association currently has a membership of about 1,100 cacao farmers.

Indian Reservations

*Aguacate Indian Reservation, Toledo *Black Creek Indian Reservation, Toledo *Blue Creek Indian Reservation, Toledo *Crique Sarco Indian Reservation, Toledo *Graham Creek Indian Reservation, Toledo *Hinchasones Indian Reservation, Toledo *Machaca Indian Reservation, Toledo *Xpicilha Indian Reservation, Toledo

Notable architecture

Several significant ancient Mayan sites are extant in

ruined Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

form in the Toledo District.

is a Classic Period Mayan site with ballcourts and carved stelae. Lubaantun is a drystone constructed site with ruined

pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilate ...

s and stone tombs.

Notable people

* Cristina Coc, Maya community leader *

Juan Coy Juan Coy is a Belizean politician. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2008 for the Toledo West constituency. Coy was appointed as Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Development. In 2012, he lost re-election to Oscar Reque� ...

, politician * Michael Espat, politician

References

External links

Official website
- with maps and area attractions
Toledo District at belize.fm

The Toledo Howler
- quarterly newspaper published by the BTIA Toledo Chapter
How to Cook a Tapir
- a Belize memoir, documenting the author's year-long working honeymoon in the Toledo District
Treehouse Perspectives - Living High on Little
- the story of the Salisbury family's move and new life in Punta Gorda

- Influence or interference? {{Coord, 16, 20, N, 88, 45, W, region:BZ_type:adm1st, display=title Districts of Belize