Toledo District is the southernmost district

Districts of Belize

Belize is divided into 6 districts. The districts are listed below, with the capital city and some statistics:-List:-Largest cities and towns by population:Based on 2005 estimate:#Belize City, BZ 70,800#Orange Walk, OW 17,300#San Ignacio, CY 16,800...

 in Belize

Belize

Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...

, and Punta Gorda

Punta Gorda, Belize

Punta Gorda, known locally as PG, is the town of the Toledo District in southern Belize. Punta Gorda is the southernmost sizable town in the nation, with a population of about 6,000 people...

 the District capital. Although the least developed region in the country, it features some of the most pristine rainforests, extensive cave networks, coastal lowland plains, and offshore cays. Toledo is home to a wide range of cultures—from Mopan

Mopan

Mopan may refer to:*Mopan language, a Mayan language spoken in Belize and Guatemala*Mopan people, an indigenous Maya people, whose native language is Mopan*Mopan River, in Belize's Cayo district...

 and Kekchi Maya

Q'eqchi' people

Q'eqchi are one of the Maya peoples in Guatemala and Belize, whose indigenous language is also called Q'eqchi'....

, to Creole

Creole peoples

The term Creole and its cognates in other languages — such as crioulo, criollo, créole, kriolu, criol, kreyol, kreol, kriulo, kriol, krio, etc. — have been applied to people in different countries and epochs, with rather different meanings...

, the Garifuna, East Indians, Mennonites, Mestizos, and descendants of US Confederate

Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...

 settlers.

Geography

The District has many villages, including Monkey River Town

Monkey River Town

Monkey River Town is a village in the north of the Toledo District of the Central American nation of Belize. It is on the Caribbean Sea on the southern shore of the mouth of Belize's Monkey River...

 and the Toledo Settlement

Toledo Settlement

Toledo Settlement is a town in Belize's Toledo District.Toledo Settlement is located at , at an elevation of 37 meters above sea level. It was originally settled by African American refugees from the United States who had fled during the American Civil War....

, the Maya villages of San Pedro Columbia

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 Mopan Maya. San Pedro Columbia has Belize's largest...

, Blue Creek (home to Tumul Kin Center of Learning), Indian Creek

Indian Creek

-Communities:* Indian Creek, California, unincorporated community in Calaveras County* Indian Creek, Florida, village in Miami-Dade County* Indian Creek, Illinois, village in Lake County* Indian Creek No...

, Santa Cruz, San Antonio, San Jose, San Felipe, and the Garifuna village of Barranco

Barranco

Barranco is one of 43 districts in Lima, Peru. Its current mayor is Jessica Vargas and its postal code is 04.The district is considered to be the city's most romantic and bohemian, being the home and working place of many of Peru's leading artists, musicians, designers and photographers...

. According to the 2010 census, Toledo District had a population

Population

A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

 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, chili, hot 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’.

Transportation

The Toledo District is served by the newly-paved Southern Highway

Southern Highway

In Belize, the Southern Highway takes up where the Hummingbird Highway ends and runs from Dangriga to Punta Gorda. It is entirely paved, with the completion of a 10-mile segment between Golden Stream and Big Falls circa 2007-08. The Southern Highway provides important access to a number of Mayan...

, 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, and Punta Gorda Town is served by several daily commuter flights on Tropic Air and Maya Island Air.

Notable architecture

Several significant ancient Mayan sites are extant in ruined form in the Toledo District. Nim Li Punit

Nim Li Punit

Nim Li Punit, is a Maya Classic Period site in the Toledo District of the nation of Belize, located 40 kilometres north of the town of Punta Gorda, at 16° 19' N, 88° 47' 60W...

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

Lubaantun

Lubaantun is a pre-Columbian ruined city of the Maya civilization in southern Belize, Central America...

 is a drystone constructed site with ruined pyramid

Pyramid

A pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...

s and stone tombs.

Notable People

-
Wil Maheia, Leader, People's National Party
-
Pulcheria Teul, Government Senator, United Democratic Party
-
Mike Espat, Deputy Leader, People's United Party
-
Kenny Jacobs, Executive Director, Teens Belize Organization
-
Shari Williams, Queen of the Bay 1998
-
Hon. Eden Martinez, Area Rep. Minister of Social Transformation
-
Hon. Juan Coy, Minister of State,
-

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
• Governmental influence on ecotourism in Toledo - Influence or interference?