The Historical Triangle in Belize featuring Tipu

If you want to learn more about the real Belize and listen to local and expat stories of those living in Belize you’re in the right place. This is Belize Talk Radio!

Please welcome your host Belize and International Real Estate expert Macarena Rose!

Hello everyone, I’m Macarena Rose from Belize Talk Radio and one of my most favorite people to get to talk to is Don Hector Silva and why you ask. To me he is our number one historian in the whole country of Belize, and why do I say that? Well for many reasons: You’ve been here since the very beginning that Belize became Belize and before that of course British Honduras, but your passion in your life has been history and you show it by the books you’ve written, by the stories and the facts that he knows. 

A lot of them aren’t out there, we don’t have them, so today we’re doing something very special, we’re going to do a triangle, and this was Don Hector’s idea. I reached out, he wanted to do this, so here we are! Don Hector, welcome!

Thank you, Macarena, it’s a pleasure to be with you again, especially at a site that I consider to be one of, if not the most sacred place in the nation of Belize!

And we’re here!

TIPU

The place is Tipu! Very unknown to most Belizeans, Tipu!

Tipu was the Western capital of the Mayas in this area from Corozal down to where we are. Tipu was a trading post between Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Mopan, here where we are, and Perpen Itza, another type of Mayas.

But for you all to enjoy what we are going to, do please allow me to read this section, which is the introduction.

This report is dedicated to all Belizeans and friends of Belize all over the world.

The reason for making this result is, because, it has in history of Belize been eschewed shunned or presented to suit special interest. I grew in a village not far away from here, where I lived with the Mayans, and so I got a passion to know who were these people.

Then it came that I had been told that there was an old civilization called the Maya Empire. I didn’t know nothing like they were here in Belize, because it was denied, the colonizer did not want to know that there was an old ancient civilization called the Maya. Those that build those high monuments Xunantunich, Caracol, Altun Ha, all those places they were not mentioned in our history.

I went to High School St. John’s College and I never heard the word Maya civilization. They told me about Columbus they told me about Lord Nelson, they told me about Napoleon Bonaparte, but nothing about this Belize. So when Macarena told me what next? I said, Macarena, the most important is the triangle.
The triangle is within Belize, but not known by most Belizeans and denied by those who know about it. Denied by those who knew this story that we are going to give to Belize and the world! I am including the world!

Now in answering the questions was that the roots of a lot of Belizeans are here in this area and I wanted to know, because they say when the British and the Spaniards came there were no Maya. I said who told you so and then I dig into it and I found that there are so many Maya places here.

MAYA PLACES IN BELIZE

To name a few for those that will listen to us, Chin’am around Corozal, Chetumal in Corozal Town, Char La Can Progresso Lagoon, Xunan today Xunan, Xaive today Xaive, coming to the Cayo District, Belize City or all of them have about a dozen of them.

Then you have for example the one in the Cayo District Tipu, where we are, the place is called a Negroman, but I don’t know how that story fits into this.

Then you had Sajouse in San Ignacio. They dug a trench on Burns Avenue, and they found a Maya settlement there which is Sajouse.

Then you had Bultok down the Macal River around Branch Mouth. You had Kahal Pech well that is know now. Chukum below the Macal River, Holmul North of Bullet Tree. El Pilar West of Bullet Tree. Xunantunich by San Jose Succotz. Yaxche near Belmopan. Hubel Na Roaring Creek, and it can go on to show that this place was inhabited

This contradicts what some archaeologists said that this was a barren place when the colonizers came.

Good, now, okay! 1508 remember they say Columbus came for the Americas and got lost and name it… but he didn’t discover it, people were already here, so he couldn’t have discovered this area. But it’s of interest to know that the Spaniards came here they began attacking the local people. The Mayas were the main target of the Spaniards for some reason or the other.

COROZAL

The first strike was in Corozal.

Spaniards attempted to enter there but Chief Nachan Khan drove them away from Corozal.

Then comes the other one that happened at Laboring Creek. Then there was another one called it skirmishes. And then there was the one here at Tipu in 1638 to 1642 called the war of liberation. Right here where we are right now! There was a war. This area extended. The tongue of Tipu extended quite far. The Macal River is over there. So Tipu was an important place, but after that war of liberation where the Mayas defeated the Spaniards and chased them away, 1642 the Spaniards went away and did not come back until the 10th of September 1798 at the island of St. George’s Caye.

So something is celebrated… some call it battle, some call it confrontation.

Now Tipu! Tipu actually went through a long period of being ruled by the cross and the spit. The cross and the spit. See this Cathedral this was a signal of the cross. The Spaniards built this. And at the same time they were killing Mayas. Not far from here there’s a deep, deep burial ground where there are hundreds and hundreds of bones, human bones that were buried here somewhere around here. That is a signal that there was resistance by the Mayas.

They fought back. They were killed. But eventually, they came in droves to defeat the Spaniards and preserve this land for us to build Belize.

If it were not for the Mayas or if they had lost the war this would not be Belize. We would belong either to Petén or to Quintana Roo. So this sacred place, this sacred place to me owes our loyalty our gratefulness that these people here chase the Spaniards that have taken the whole territory.

What better treatment we should give the Mayas and their descendants.

Thereafter the Spaniards came again by sea on the 10th of September and unattempted but they were repelled by an armada of British came from Jamaica. They were chased back and they had a disease called Cholera that killed many of the soldiers that they brought and some of their boats were broken in the reef. They didn’t know the reef. The reef cut like a blade cut up their boats and that was the end of the Spanish pretension to Belize.

Tipu is a place where, I believe, should be the landmark where our nation Belize was born.

Wow

THE MAYA EMPIRE

The Mayas carved…listen to me…out of the whole Maya Empire which is somewhere around here. Here it is…and if the cameras can get it … That is the Maya Empire in yellow Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Peten, Salvador, North Honduras, and Belize.

Listen very carefully! The Mayas, the Maya carved and… I am there to say with the grace of God … a territory almost surrounded by water.

Belize is not an island, but almost an island. To the North we have Rio Hondo all to the North and part of Northwest. To the South the stone water. To the East all Caribbean Sea and to the West Garbutt Falls where we are going to go later to see the monument.

So Belize is a little island in a large territory but with special blessings and with wealth untold as we will hear later

This secret place here was formed after many, many years, because this happened in 1642.

And imagine that’s what almost 400 years ago. Yes, this remains here abandoned. Nothing is said about this. Nothing has been really written. They have made inquiries about it but never yet told this story that Miss Macarena Rose told me to tell the world.

Tipu … our godfather in preserving this beautiful land called Belize.

TOP OF THE HISTORICAL TRIANGLE IN BELIZE

Question!

So it is literally we are currently like you wanted to talk about the triangle. We’re literally at the top of, in my opinion, at the top of the triangle.

Exactly!

And then the other two sectors that we’re going to share with you, or Don Hector is going to share with you, are going to be the other ends of the triangle.

So we do! We’re going to take a second and have a break because Miguel has some fresh coconut water for us. That way, you’re hydrated to keep on going. How’s that? Come on over Miguel! I moved to Belize because I can get fresh coconut water. It’s always cold. 

It fascinates me because it comes from the tree, it’s hot as heck outside, you open the coconut and it’s cold inside or cool! Also it’s like liquid. It’s so pure. You can use it even for IV for hydration, right? Oh yes! They do! I mean that’s fascinating, that’s how good it is for you right, but it’s delicious! That was a perfect little break for the coconut water. Thank you! Very good for us for sure!

So go ahead! Continue because you were talking about the location, we’re at why it’s so incredibly important to our history.

Well okay Tipu, Tipu as related to Belize, is bonded on the Western side of Belize near the Guatemalan border. Tipu was a trading post where the Itzá would sell their cacao or aciote or whatever to the Mayas up North, in of course in Chetumal, Quintara Roo and beyond. So Tipu is actually the ending point of Ruta Maya.

RUTA MAYA

You heard about Ruta Maya where they have the 9th of March. But this is the end of the real Ruta Maya which began: Bacalar entered into the Chaak Canal into the Rio Hondo into the Caribbean Sea around Corozal into the new river straight down South towards Orange Walk into the Hill Bank Lagoon into Laboring Creek into the Belize River by Lemonal, the village is there, Lemonal, down up towards San Ignacio. 

From San Ignacio to Tipu. And here ended the Ruta Maya. Then from there the Peteneros would come with their goods whatever, load them right here, right below there and they go by river and take the same route. The present Ruta Maya is actually the Ruta Belikin.

They should have called that route Belikin, because the Mayas that used to go to the sea to get fish, salt and shells for their food, they went from Tikal down here get this route at the river and go down to the sea. That route Be-li-kin going towards the sun. “Kin” is sun or the East.

HOW BELIKIN BEER GOT ITS NAME

So, it’s not beer?

No, not beer! Barry Bowen borrowed that one in 1970.

But no, so you’re the first one that ever had taught me that!

So, Tipu was very important. Now in the Spaniards first came to Northern Belize in 1508. They tried but they never succeeded. They went down towards Honduras entered the Sarstoon and came behind and conquered Peten. But not here.

When they attempted to come over and take over this area, then is when the Mayas declare the war of liberation in 1638 and they defeated them by 1642. The Maya freedom fighters led by the Tipuans had defeated the Spanish invaders, and so the territories that made today’s Belize were liberated from Spanish conquest.

St. GEORGE’S CAYE

Not until 1779 again the Spaniards came back through St. George’s Caye

Tipu, very important, and I hope that people are hearing this, begin to read more about Tipu. Tipu was set aside for too long and I said for a special purpose. Because they said that when the British came in 1638 there were no Mayas. That’s a lie. The Spanish was settled from Corozal different little villages.

The Mayans? Yeah yeah!

For example, take the rivers: Shabun – Maya name – You go to city – that is Soitte. And every river from South up North has a Maya name. And this river, Macal, actually was not Macal was the Tipu River. It’s all in history. The Tipu River run right over here. But somebody came Macal. What is Macal? Macal is coco, the one that you eat.

Mhm

So I don’t know if there are big cultivations of coco here, I don’t know Macal but this is history now, twisted in many ways.

Are we…oh this is it… were there any people before the Maya? This is a new thing you know that they found under the ground, some people, Paleontologist or whatever, I don’t know what their name. But where is their sign? Where are the pyramids?

PLOT TO DOWNGRADE THE MAYA

But it’s a sinister plot to downgrade the Maya, that oh no, no, the Maya they were not the first because there were other people here and they give them names they find one thing where look like one razor blade, some place around there, that’s big propaganda, false!

That’s why I’m so happy, Macarena, for this opportunity! And I challenge any Archaeologist and all Archaeologist: Come and tell the people the truth! Tell the people the truth what was Belize from the beginning and then we will begin to appreciate this place as our country.

Do you know that you cannot love a boy or a girl that you do not know? Tell me, which one that we know love girl, the male, where you don’t know? You can’t! You don’t know her! Similarly you can’t look a young boy for that young lady of, because they don’t know they did young boy, how can they fall in love with him?

Similarly with a country! If you do not know your country, how the hell are you going to love? And this was proven in 1976! Guatemala threatened to invade Belize and you know the whole Akayan banker run away and gone to Corozal. They sell chicken and they sell blood, they sell and gone. 1976!

I remember, when the earthquake that saved Belize from that invasion!

WHAT IS HISTORY?

So these are things that people should begin to know. What is history? Well history is something that somebody wrote. His story, their story. What we are doing here is our story, the true story about what happened!

This report we could go for this you know giving the same talk, but we are trying to give you all condensed so that it open your appetite and you will think wait a bit, did Don Hector and Macarena told us the truth? We will start to search, find all the books and everyone will tell you plain, this is Maya land, this land belong to the Maya originally, but now it belongs to Belizeans no separation of races!

Everybody, Mr. Price said, that is here, is a Belizean and that’s how Belize has to be built forward!

Your questions, I know you have a lot!

I always do, don’t I? I always do.

So, when you talk about Tipu and, and how it was really the top of the triangle, right? How, how did they communicate with the other areas, I mean were, were not like telephones, none of that stuff…

Mhm

HOW DID THEY KNOW THIS WAS THE STARTING PLACE?

Well, rivers were one of the main ways to communicate. I told you the Ruta Maya and in other places there are areas whereby Sittee River, Ceibu, everywhere was by dory, well first was by raft. The French that came here, had the balsa, we used to call, go all over the place. But the communication was by, by river. Say for example, here Tipu. Tipu is on the Macal, but right across there is a Mopan, Clarissa, where we are going not too far away from here.

So they could have had some kind of a trade that communicated them through the Mopan there some other branches I forget what they call them, Naranjo, I don’t remember, and then enter into the Peten Lagoon, which is on the road going from metro, you see the lagoon right on the side of the road?

Of course!

So that’ll be a short distance for them to communicate and then from there go towards into Peten, into San Benito, into San Andres, so many places there, you know! Where that was the Itza Maya so that’s what I think was the means of communication.

Makes sense!

Yes!

The building of the cathedral that we’re currently sitting, right?

Yes!

Was done by the Mayans.

This cathedral was built by the Spaniards!

Okay! The Spaniards built it?

Built it, yes!

With the Mayans?

Well maybe force labor, yes!

Oh Boy!

For this, this, this, um stone compound river, you know, they’re not Xunantunich type stones. This is river, river stone.

Heavy, I know they’re heavy!

Yeah, this is river pure river stone. So mostly blocks that they made, what call it, but yes and as I said, Macal is right there, the Tipu River, right behind us.

Well I think we should go and look at the cathedral!

Yes!

I mean we’re sitting, we’re sitting here, but we can go look at it too, right?

Yes, the sacristy and the altar! Now we are going around the cathedral now, where inside must have been filled and according there was some other areas here that had some little mongs, like people to sit down, no. Then from there you go and you enter the cathedral through here.

Okay

But I don’t know if they have steps over there or what.

Okay before the entrance there’s another outlet there. That little square we don’t know. We would have to hide out would be able to tell us and then…

We are now at the open! Look at this tree!

Yeah, Guanacaste!

To Bruce! No, here must have been a special place. See the altar here and there’s an altar in front. Well, the Spaniards never used to do sacrifice!

Okay!

So I believe that this must have been a special for the ritual. So this will be the altar, whatever they had there. Then this would be the, the table or the, the, the, where they do the ceremonies for the, for the church, burning of the incense. Well that tree was not there definitely. So this is here and then overlooking the tongue over there, I see some little high mounds all around

Yes!

Yes, and some to the back. They told me, there’s quite a lot. And then there’s a burial ground somewhere around here! I would have to find out more where that burial ground where the bones of hundreds of people were thrown and covered. Um, I don’t know where that would be! So this is it, Macarena, Tipu!

I think it’s fascinating

Tipu the unknown, Tipu the blessed land, as far as I, politician, I’m concerned, that Tipu preserved this land for us!

The British, and the settlers, the baymen, defended it when they chased the Spaniards
from St. George’s Caye, 217 years ago, 217 years ago! We have been … Oh no 227 … We have been in possession of this land that the Tipuan Mayas put their lives to defend against the Spaniards and drove them away.

GUATEMALA

So Don Hector, you know I grew up with the ambassador of Guatemala, was my next door neighbor, and you know, Guatemala talks about Belize and you know maybe part of Belize is theirs, and it’s not possible because, when we’re standing here at Tipu, right?

Where you at the other two sites..

Oh!

The whole story …

We’re going to hear more! So with that we’re going to stop here!

… and you’re going to hear a bombshell!

Oh!

Article 7 of Anglo-Guatemalan Treaty, a boundary treaty signed on April 30, 1859, between Great Britain and Guatemala that we’re going to see that will shake the whole of Belize!

Okay with that we’re going to the next one! Follow us