How Belize Got Its Name

How Belize Got Its Name

The story of how a nation got it’s name

Belize is a young country. It is also one that has many people, and many stories. But it only has one name. How did Belize get its name? Some stories say the Maya are responsible, others the Spanish, some the British. Not this story…

Close Your Eyes & Relax...

Imagine you are now in Africa…

You are walking through the Congo...

Imagine Walking in the forest.

See the trees.

SWISH SWISH SWISH.

There is a tiger over there.

ROOOOAR!

There is a monkey in the tree.

OH OOH AH AHH!

There are birds in the trees.

SQUAAAAACK! 

Now keep your eyes closed and listen to me!

Imagine you are walking in the forests of Africa.

Imagine stepping on old branches.

How does it sound?

CRRRACK!

Keep walking.

We walk and see Belize!

No.

Not our home.

A village called Belize in the Congo.

See a little house, a house built of sticks and stones.

A man came out with his machete. He will go hunt. He says good bye to mom and dad. He goes into the bush. He walks again. He walks in the forest.

Walking in the forest, he sees the trees.

SWISH SWISH SWISH.

He sees the tiger.

ROAR!

He sees the monkey.

OH OOH AH AHH!

He sees the birds.

SQUACK!

He steps on old branches…

CRACK!

He sees an elephant! 

PRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

That is what he wants!

He wants the elephant!

He walks slowly.

He walks slowly.

He tiptoes.

Then…

HE TRIPS AND FALLS!

The elephant hears him!

PRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! 

The elephant runs!

He got up.

He picked up his machete.

He walked back home.

He walked and walked and walked and walked and walked.

He was sad.

He got close to his village Belize.

He heard noise. What could it be? Was it the elephant?

No.

Maybe it’s a Monkey?

No.

Maybe a party?

No.

He walked some more.

He got closer.

He hid in the bushes.

From there he saw the chief with his wife! He had the children! He had his Mom! He was afraid.

But he ran!

As he ran someone hit him! He fell.

POOF!

Dust went up as he fell. As he got up, they hit him again. 

The chief told the men that were hitting him to hold him down. As they did this the chief told him he was selling him! If He did not go he would kill his family right in front of him! He was scared. When he heard this, he just started to cry.

He agreed.

He will now go with the strange men!

The men tied him up!

He was not the only one. 

There were others!

Fifty Years Later

Today he is old.

He is a skilled man.

He still works in the bush. He does what he loves. Although some have hurt him, he is free.

He runs in the forest.

He walks.

He finds the biggest trees he can!

Trees so big he can’t even hug them.

He did this until one day he stopped.

He works for himself now.

He planted plantain.

He planted coconut.

He goes to the market to sell his food. 

In his time, he became very good friends with everyone in town, especially the mayor.

He had married the mayor’s daughter, and they had a child.

One day, He went to the market.

He was having a nice day when suddenly his face became numb. He did not pay much attention to it. That was, until he had a severe headache that he had to leave the market.

On his way home…

HE FELL!!!

The people nearby rushed to help him back up. 

He was having a stroke!

Later that day the mayor went to the house to visit him. He saw him on the bed and asked him how he was.

They talked for a while and spoke of how the town needed an easier name rather than the Mayan “Balix”. He said:

“Well, you know, the place I come from sounds a lot like it, and it is much easier to pronounce. I am from Belize.”

He said this and closed his eyes.

One last time he said:

“I am from Belize.” 

“In Your memory, my friend, this town shall be called Belize.”

Letter to the Reader

Dearest reader,

Thank you. This work was done as a project for our Belizean studies class. Therefore we must appreciate the writer and our teacher Mr. David Ruiz whom without, this work would not have been able to take fruition.

Also the greatest thanks go to you, the reader. We hope you enjoy not only this work but the entire series of works done this year.

The work is intended for Standard 1 level readers; however all are welcome to read the work as a pastime, bedtime story, or out of curiosity.

To the parents we must also extend our thanks. You have shown the interest of wanting to inform your children of our nation’s history. 

Thank you.

For all those persons who have helped us in the creation of this manuscript,

Gracias:

The Author

About the Author

Justin Vera was born January 28, 2000 at 12:00 A.M., perhaps explaining his appetite.  He is the son of Aura Leticia Ordoñez and Juan Antonio Vera.

Justin, instilled from an early age with the importance of spiritual and moral values. Attending Mount Carmel Primary School and discovering his love of reading, with books from K.A. Applegate, “Animorphs” which would later kick start his passion.

Going to Mount Carmel High school, Mr. Vera discovered his love of writing. He took off by writing poetry, plays, and his favorite…prose. In the classroom Justin was well known for having employed many different techniques in many different genres.

He sharpened his skills with counterparts that were also amazing writers. His story “Philophobia” is his first published. One whereby he experimented with a plot tangled in a subplot.

The writer always sprinkles little references to other works, people or trends in subtle ways, making his reading both fun and informative for all readers.

Currently Mr. Vera is attending John Paul II Junior College, which is an institution that has further developed and polished his passion with the location and the people around him. 

Glossary

1.      Congo:

a.        Republic of the Congo, country situated astride the Equator in west-central Africa. Officially known as the Republic of the Congo, the country is often called Congo (Brazzaville), with its capital added parenthetically, to distinguish it from neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is often referred to by its acronym, the DRC, or called Congo (Kinshasa).

b.      It is a place in the continent of Africa

2.      Stroke

a.       Stroke is the second leading cause of death globally after coronary heart disease, accounting for 6.7-million deaths in 2012 – 427,000 or 6% of these were in sub-Saharan Africa. About 4.4% of total deaths in sub-Saharan Africa were the result of stroke.

                                                              i.      During a stroke, blood carrying oxygen is cut off from the brain, potentially leading to brain damage, disability or death. Family history, age, gender and race can be determining factors for stroke. Additional risk factors include obesity, diet, diabetes, smoking, hypertension and cholesterol.

b.      It is a sudden interruption in the blood supply of the brain.

References

Cordell, Dennis D. “Republic of the Congo.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 22 May 2018, www.britannica.com/place/Republic-of-the-Congo.

“FACTSHEET: The Leading Causes of Death in Africa in 2012.” Africa Check, africacheck.org/factsheets/factsheet-the-leading-causes-of-death-in-africa/.