The Caribbean

Most of the Caribbean Coast is located in the country of Belize next to Guatemala. However, Guatemala does have a small stretch of land on the Caribbean Coast. This area is blessed with fertile soil and contains Guatemala's largest fresh water lake. These conditions support a vibrant jungle full of tropical wildlife. Herons, egrets and squawking parakeets roast in the trees by the lakes and rivers. If you look really carefully, you might even spot a huge iguana sunbathing in a tree, like we did on out trip down the river Rio Dulce.

Mangrove trees live in the shallow, tropical water. Their roots grow down from the trunk and branches, through the water and into the rich soil below. The mini-forest of roots provide shelter to many small fish and other aquatic animals. In the mangroves outside our cabin we could see large, colorful fish, slow-moving fresh water turtles and diving cormorants (birds) that sped beneath the water after the fish. We were told that river otters also live along the river, but were not lucky enough to see one. An ecological reserve close to the mouth of the river protects the elusive, endangered manatee - an aquatic mammal similar to a dolphin.

Although the jungle right along the banks of Lake Izabal and the Rio Dulce is largely protected, much of the rest of the land has been deforested. At the beginning of the 20th century, the US company, United Fruit, bought up this fertile land and clearcut the forest to make way for extensive banana plantations. This company quickly gobbled up more and more land, becoming incredibly rich off the cheap labor of the poor. Because of its wealth and ties to the United States, United Fruit also became a very powerful force in Guatemalan politics. Fifty-five years later, when the democratically elected president, Jacobo Arbenz, passed a law to help the poor by giving them back some of the land the rich and powerful had taken from them, the United Fruit company became very angry. Because of this, the United States government supported an invasion of Guatemala to push President Arbenz from power and install a new, non-elected government that would allow US companies to continue exploiting the poor.

Another interesting aspect of this region is the Caribbean culture. In several towns along the coast between Belize, Guatemala and Honduras live communities of Garífuna, or black Carib people. The Garífuna are descendants of African slaves who rebelled against the British colonizers and fled the Caribbean island of St. Vincent to the coast of the mainland. Here they have developed their own communities and culture for over 200 years. Along with the official language of Spanish, the Garífuna also speak a local Creole language. They also have distinctive foods and music. When we were eating at a restaurant in the town of Livingston, a group of wandering musicians suddenly arrived to give us a very lively concert with lots of drumming, dancing and singing. It was lots of fun!