A Little Historical Reflection on San Antonio

I’m on the home stretch of my stay in San Antonio. I have only until next Thursday with my host family. I move back to Belmopan on Friday to get the new site assignment and begin my stay with next host family for four weeks.

San Antonio, a small village in the Cayo District with about 2,000 Mayan residents, is located about two hours away from Belmopan by bus. The closest town is San Ignacio, an hour drive away through mostly rough, unpaved roads. I just got a history lesson from a publication, “After 100 years: The Oral History and Traditions of San Antonio, Cayo District, Belize,” written by Alfonso Ambrosio Tzul, 1993. The legend begins in the early 1500s when the Spaniards invaded Mexico calling the discovered land, Yucatan, and the people, Mayan. In actuality, the people called themselves Masawal. After 19 years of fighting with the Spaniards, 300,000 Masewals survived the conquest, but by 1700 A.D the number was cut in half. The Masewals became slaves to the new landowners, many died from foreign diseases such as smallpox and measles. The Masewals retaliated on 1847 and set the stage for the War of Races that changed the direction of the Masewal world. In 1876, a few Maswewal families established the San Antonio village. Today, some of the original families that settled here are still living – practically everyone is related.

Before the invasion of Spain, the Masewals out of respect and fear of the gods worshipped and practiced many ceremonial rites described in today’s history of the Mayan people. They believed in nine gods that were responsible for everything in the universe. When the Spaniards brought Catholicism, the Masewals on the surface practiced the new religion with deep underlying practices of their old religious rites more intimate with their daily life activities. It was the year 1962 that changed the village people dramatically when Anglican Pentecostal filtered through their lives. This was the first time that the people had access to the written bible. The Bible, up to that date was considered sacred and was available only to the priests. Many of the younger generation could read and write English and Spanish, and their curiosity was peaked with easy access to the bible. Unlike the distant relationship with the Catholic priests, the Pentecostal invited local villagers to become religious leaders. Today, the Pentecostal has a firm hold on the village with seven churches, each with a different interpretation of doctrinal issues. In my observations, I found the villagers heavily influenced with their religious beliefs and practices, live a somber and humble life as farmers, and retain a familial happiness despite the minimal living conditions.

It’s beautiful country with a bounty of natural resources but lacking in infrastructure to harness and reap potential living amenities that we take for granted in the States. I’m learning a lot about the people and the country, and the Peace Corps program is helpful in the acculturation and integration into Belize. Still, I continue to wonder why this country remains third world – Belize became independent from the British in 1981, twenty-nine years have passed, and the Peace Corps has been in this country since the 1960s.