Bullet Tree Falls

Bullet Tree Falls
Aerial view of the main road in Bullet Tree Falls
Bullet Tree Falls
Coordinates: 17.168°N 89.111°W / 17.168; -89.111
Country	Belize
District	Cayo District
Constituency	Cayo North
Elevation	69 m (226 ft)
Population  (2010)
• Total	2,124[1]
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central)
Climate	Am

Bullet Tree Falls is a village located along the Mopan River in Cayo District, Belize. It lies approximately five kilometers (three miles) northwest of San Ignacio.[2][3] According to the 2010 census, Bullet Tree Falls has a population of 2,124 people in 426 households.[1] The population consists mainly of Spanish-speaking mestizos, along with a smaller number of Maya and Creoles.[2][3][4] The village is governed by a seven-person village council.[5]

Bullet Tree Falls

Demographics

At the time of the 2010 census, Bullet Tree Falls had a population of 2,124. Of these, 91.0% were Mestizo, 3.4% Mixed, 1.1% Creole, 1.0% Yucatec Maya, 0.9% Caucasian, 0.8% Mopan Maya, 0.7% Ketchi Maya, 0.3% East Indian and 0.1% Mennonite.[6]

History

Bullet Tree Falls was first established as a small logging camp in the 1800s.[7] During the Caste War of Yucatán, many Maya families migrated to Bullet Tree Falls from villages further north such as El Chorro and Yaloch.[2][7] By 1917, there were approximately one hundred and forty people living in the village in twenty-three households.[7] During the early and mid 20th century, an influx of mestizos migrated to the village from Guatemala and Mexico, many of them working as chicleros.[4][7] During the early days of the chicle and timber industries in Belize, the village was an important trading post.[8]

The first Creoles settled in Bullet Tree Falls in the 1950s, arriving from San Ignacio.[9] In 1961, Hurricane Hattie caused significant damage to the village, destroying a school building and church.[7][10] During the 1960s and 1970s, several Mopan Maya families moved to Bullet Tree Falls from the Toledo District.[7] By 1970, the population of the village had grown to approximately 700.[7] In 1988, the Salvador Fernandez Bridge was completed, replacing an older wooden bridge.[10]

Attractions

Tubing down the Mopan River is a popular tourist activity in Bullet Tree Falls.[11]

Bullet Tree Falls has developed a small tourist economy facilitated by its location between San Ignacio and the El Pilar Maya archeological site.[2] The village hosts several lodges and a small botanical garden.[11] Buses between Bullet Tree Falls and San Ignacio run several times a day and taxi service is available to San Ignacio and El Pilar.[11]

Gallery

• 
  The Community Center
• 
  The main bus stop
• 
  Aerial view of the village
• 
  The Salvador Fernandez Bridge and Mopan River

References

1. "Belize Population and Housing Census: 2010 Country Report" (PDF). Statistical Institute of Belize. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
2. Pridgeon, Elizabeth (19 February 2010). "Bullet Tree Falls". The Belize Times. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011.
3. Eltringham, Peter; Fisher, John; Stewart, Iain (2001). The Rough Guide to the Maya World: Guatemala, Belize, Southern Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador. London: Rough Guides. p. 269. ISBN 1858287421.
4. Gordon, Andrew (28 February 2020). "Rastafarianism in Bullet Tree Falls, Belize: Exploring the Effects of International Trends". Societies. 10 (1): 1–16. doi:10.3390/soc10010024.
5. "Village Council Election Results: Bullet Tree, Cayo District" (PDF). Elections and Boundaries Department, Government of Belize. July 29, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 25, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
6. Population & Housing Census [1]
7. Sullivan, Paul (November 1978). "The Founding and Growth of Bullet Tree Falls". Belizean Studies. 6 (6): 1–22.
8. Silva, Hector David (July 2010). Brief History of the Cayo District. SEYT. p. 74.
9. Gordon, Andrew J. (2016). Agents of Change in Bullet Tree Falls: How a Village in Belize Responded to Influences of Globalization. Wadsworth Publishing. p. 10. ISBN 1133604498.
10. "History of Immaculate Conception R. C. School". Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic School. Archived from the original on 2 June 2013.
11. Vorhees, Mara (2008). Lonely Planet Belize: Cayo District. Lonely Planet. ASIN B002RI96MG.

External links

• Bullet Tree Falls at Belize LocalWiki
• Map of Bullet Tree Falls at OpenStreetMap