Finding the right community is very important in the home buying process. Arabella Chambers located in the Unitedville village of Cayo is the right place to start when searching for the best place to relocate your  your family in Belize.

We can tell you the vital information you need, including which schools, public services, community services and amenities that are part or located near the neigborhood you are considering buying into.

For more information on the local communities and the ones we build, contact Alexia Malo or Luigi Lungarini. We understand the value that a great community can bring to a families overseas home acquisition decisions.

The hot climate requires light weight clothing for all occasions. Business dress for men includes short sleeved cotton or poplin shirts, or the popular pleated and pocketed guayabera, worn outside the pants. Ties are not worn. Business women are most comfortable in light weight, sleeveless dresses or skirts. Shorts are unacceptable business attire.

Education is mandatory for children between the ages of 6 and 14. Elementary and secondary schooling is free and operated either through government or by one of the churches. A special, government  funded vocational training center is geared toward students who couldn't finish secondary school. Courses and training vary depending on changes in the labor market.

Several vocational colleges also specialize in the fields of teacher training, craft and technical courses, agro-industry, and advanced technical fields. The University College of Belize was founded in 1986 and is the country's first institution of higher learning.

Cayo is located in the western interior of Belize, it is a 1500 square mile district that encompasses a good portion of the Maya Mountains and has more than its fair share of ancient Maya sites to pay a visit to and explore.

Located to the east of Belmopan and far west side is the Main city of San Ignacio. Between these two you will find an endless variety of stunning “picture perfect” sceneries to capture during your stay and visit. Cayo is where you will want to be and where many foreigners have chosen to make it Home.

The Twin Towns

San Ignacio and Santa Elena, are referred to locally as Cayo and known as the twin towns. They are located 2 hours from Belize City along the Western Highway and San Ignacio is a tourist center. The town and the surrounding communities contain a diverse population of Creole, Maya and Mestizo. San Ignacio is also an attractive market town set among pleasant tropical hills.

San Ignacio Featured Attraction:

The biggest attraction in this area, and an alternative to travelling to Guatmala's Tikal site, is the Mayan ruins of Caracol, which was, at one a time, a bustling city in the middle of a forest. Stop at the front desk to pick up a map and a description of each site. For more information on Caracol and the continuing excavation, visit this site: http://www.caracol.org

National Geographic:
Fishing villages along Central America’s coast pulse with the joyous rhythms of this Afro-Caribbean people.

Get a taste of what awaits you in print from this compelling excerpt.

Herded aboard slave ships in West Africa, a group of Garífuna forebears were likely destined for New World mines and plantations when they wrecked off St. Vincent in 1635. They found refuge with the island’s Carib Indians, immigrants from South America.

The two peoples blended through marriage, creating the Garífuna culture—Caribbean fishing and farming traditions with a mixture of South American and African music, dance, and spirituality.

The Garífuna prospered and coexisted peacefully with French settlers who came later in the 17th century. Tensions arose when English colonists began to arrive and demand land. Those tensions eventually turned to war. Hopelessly outnumbered by British troops, the Garífuna and their French supporters surrendered in 1796. The victors exiled the Garífuna to the island of Baliceaux.

Imprisoned there in appalling conditions, more than half died. The following year survivors were shipped to Roatán Island off the coast of Honduras. According to legend, the Garífuna hid cassava, a mainstay of their diet, inside their clothes, where it stayed alive watered by the sweat of the tightly packed captives. They planted the cassava on Roatán, where it grew abundantly. Soon the Garífuna established fishing villages in Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Belize. Each year in Belize, when locals reenact the arrival in that land, they slip out to sea in boats, then ride the surf onto shore, waving palm fronds and banana leaves to symbolize the cassava that sustained their ancestors. This ritual, rich in music and dance, helps sustain Garífuna culture.

Get the whole story in the pages of National Geographic magazine.

Visit the link on National Geographic website here.

Voices resonate over the rhythmic pulse of drums in this sampling of Garífuna music. Click here!