Everyone wants a place they could call their home. A perfect place they could call their utopia. For the 324,060 citizens of Belize, their country is where they want to Be. Belize is the second smallest country in Central America bordering Mexico, Guatemala, and the Caribbean Sea. It is the only country in Central America without a coastline on the Pacific Ocean and it has the lowest population density with 35 people per square mile or 14 people per square kilometer (CIA World Fact Book).
Belize is a diverse country with various cultures and languages. As a result, Belizeans are made up of Maya, Mestizo, Creole, Garifuna, East Indian, Mennonite, Arab, and Chinese. While English is their official language, Creole, Spanish, African based Garifuna, Maya-Kekchi, Maya Mopan, Mandarin, and German are other languages and Dialects spoken throughout the country (Belize Tourism Board). .
Due to the fact that Belize is very diverse, there are a lot of different religions being practiced. Observers frequently note that Belizeans are a particularly religious people, with almost all the population declaring a specific religious preference in 1980. Religion was strongly associated with ethnicity and region. Catholicism unifies most Mestizos, Maya, and Garifuna Most Creoles are either Anglican or Methodist, but a significant number converted to Roman Catholicism, mainly because of proselytization in Roman Catholic schools. Some, even if they have a specific religion, would still practice traditional beliefs. For example, Many Garifuna people still uphold to their traditional beliefs and practices while considering themselves Catholics or another religion. One their traditional practice is the Dugu ritual, which is where they honored their ancestors, and perpetuate their distinctive cultural identity (Sacred Destinations). .
Also, Many Maya practice their own cultural traditions too; Creoles, particularly among the older generations, believe in obeah, or witchcraft.
