San Ignacio - Culture

Cradled in a picturesque valley between the Macal and Mopan Rivers, San Ignacio and its sister city Santa Elena make up Belize's second largest urban area. The two towns are separated by the Macal River and Belize's only suspension bridge, the one-lane Hawks worth Bridge.

San Ignacio is a unique blend of America old west and tropical backwater with frontier- like wooden shops on narrow streets. Known locally as "Cayo", San Ignacio is located on the Western Highway about seventy miles and 90 minutes drive time from Belize City.

Burns Avenue is "Main Street" and a good place to begin a tour of the town. Most days it's a busy thoroughfare with lots of people walking in the streets. Burns Avenue and the adjacent streets are teeming with shops, hotels and places to eat. It's all a very short walk from the bus station.

Excursions around San Ignacio include a short trip to nearby Cahal Pech Ruins, a Maya site  ~ it's a quick cab ride or a 20 minute uphill walk from town.
 
The Iguana Conservation project and baby iguanas are located at the San Ignacio Resort Hotel.

A number of licensed Tour Operators and guides can show you around the San Ignacio area. Activities include: Horseback Riding, Birding, River Trips, Cave Tours, Jungle Treks and excursions to nearby Maya Ruins, including Tikal in Guatemala.

Macal River canoeing is very popular: Stopovers include a Natural History Centre, Butterfly Farm and Medicine Trail.

For a nice 1½ mile bike, walk or jog head along the scenic Branch Mouth Road to the "hammock bridge" where the Macal and Mopan rivers join up. From the shaded river bank, you can watch for wild parrots along with lazing iguanas and enjoy a swim in the heat of the day.  

Venture to the Mountain Pine Ridge on the way to Caracol, or travel to Succotz Village and the equally impressive Maya site of Xunantunich. Another mile gets you to Benque Viejo and Hydro dam road, where the journey continues on to Chechem Hah, a cave full of Maya artefacts. From Benque Viejo, its one mile to the Guatemalan border.

Bullet Tree, 3 miles northwest of San Ignacio, is where the road to El Pilar begins.

Saturday is the Busiest Market Day. Here you will find vendors from the small towns and villagers selling their wares and locally grown fruits and vegetables. You can get good buys on bananas, papaya, pineapples, oranges, mangos, coconuts, avocados and other tropical produce.

Cash advances, one hour photo developing, real estate, travel, and auto rentals are some of the Services available in San Ignacio

San Ignacio Town is built on seven hills in the heart of the Cayo District. It sits on the left bank of the Macal River. It is located 72 miles from Belize City, 22 miles from Belmopan and 9 miles from the Guatemalan border. This administrative center for the Cayo District relies on cattle ranching, tourism and small businesses.San Ignacio is often referred to as Cayo. It was first known as El Cayo, the Spanish word for island. The name was given at the time when San Ignacio resembled an island, sandwiched between the Macal and Mopan Rivers when there were no roads. It has a population of 4,000, which includes Creoles, Mestizos, Mopans, Yucatec Maya, Lebanese, Sri Lankans and a few Garifunas. Spanish is widely spoken and the population is beginning to include inhabitants, who are descendants from Guatemalan immigrants. This town once served as a major collecting point for mahogany and chicle. After mahogany and chicle the economy is based on agriculture and tourism. Tourism has become a very important part of the economy for this district. Not far from San Ignacio are the major Mayan centre of Xunantunich and El Pilar. Also within the town's borders lies the ceremonial center Cahal Pech. Santa Elena is linked by the Hawks worth Bridge, the highest suspension bridge in Belize, with its sister town San Ignacio Town. The bridge was built in 1949 and named after the former governor who served from 1947 to 1949. Tipu, an archaeological site, was a village assumed to have been settled by the Mayas. It is about 8km south of San Ignacio, near what today is called Negroman. In the mid 1500's Spanish soldiers and a priest arrived in the village attempting to convert the Mayas to Catholics. Their continuous attempt at conversion, even including threat of death for non-believers, failed.

Much of the countryside surrounding San Ignacio today is dominated by citrus groves, rolling hills and cattle pastures. The Macal River winds its way through the twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena and is an excellent place to swim or canoe. Numerous resorts and jungle lodges line the banks of the Macal River offering a variety of activities. The Macal River was once the major throughway for timber and chicle moving from the west towards what is now Belmopan and then to the coast.