Just like everywhere in the world, archaeological structures can be found outside the premises of protected reserves. Many people live and build on archaeological remains. Adjacent communities contribute to contemporary histories, demonstrating unique connections to archaeological sites and cultural practices.

About Lamanai

Jaguar Temple, Lamanai Archaeological Reserve, Belize © Ella Békési & Heritage Education Network Belize

Lamanai is a Maya archaeological reserve on the New River Lagoon's western side in the Orange Walk District in North Central Belize. Although the site covers approximately 4.5 square kilometres with hundreds of mapped archaeological structures, many have also been recorded outside of the reserve's premises along the lagoon and further inland.

A Site Occupied for over 2000 years

16th Century Spanish Colonial Churches at Lamanai Archaeological Reserve © Ella Békési & Heritage Education Network Belize

The Lamanai name originates from Lama'an/ayin, which stands for "submerged crocodile". Lamanai is the longest continuously occupied site in the Maya Lowlands (Northern Belize & Yucatán, Mexico). Radiocarbon dates indicate Maya occupation from as early as 1500 B.C.[1] and archaeological work shows an almost unbroken occupation spanning 2000 years[2].

Archaeological excavations at two Spanish Colonial Churches suggest 16th-century occupation of the Post-Classic Maya community and Spanish missionaries[3] and later on 19th century British Colonial occupation. (Lamanai's attractions also include a British colonial-period sugar mill [4][5][6]. This long-standing active human presence at the site culminates with the foundation of Indian Church Village – a small refugee settlement that emerged in the 1970s.

The site history stretches across thousands of years, involving diverse communities and cultures along the way. Lamanai is ultimately famous for its long-standing importance in the region and the fact that there have always been people living on-site. Contemporary site history has a vital role in how we look at Lamanai and how we link it to our modern society's narratives.

Underrepresented histories: Indian Church Village

Las Orquideas Restaurant in the 2000s, Indian Church Village, Belize © Las Orquídias Restaurant

One of the most underrepresented stories about Lamanai is the story of Indian Church Village. Today, the settlement is located a mile south of the core of the archaeological site, but it used to be within the premises of the reserve.

Indian Church came together as a community around 1977 at a place occupied for 3500 years. The majority of Indian Church Village population arrived from Guatemala (some from El Salvador) in the 1980s, fleeing from the civil war in their homeland. Guatemalan refugees settled within the Lamanai Archaeological Reserve's boundaries, in an area by the 16th century Spanish Churches. The settlement got its name after Lamanai, as it had been previously known as "Indian Church" since the 1860s – due to the Spanish colonial churches on-site [3].

Since the 1990s, Belize has begun to develop its ancient Maya archaeological sites for tourism and conservation purposes. Indian Church was moved to its current location just outside of Lamanai Reserve.

1980s migration and descendant communities

Lamanai Archaeological Reserve © Ella Békési & Heritage Education Network Belize

The village history sheds light on relatively recent events that shaped Belizean society.

The Guatemalan Civil War generated significant refugee flows into the United States, Mexico and Belize in the 1980s[7]. Official census reports show that by 1991 the foreign-born population of Belize more than doubled, compared to 1980. Central American immigrants in Belize accounted for more than 13% of the total population, of which 41% came from Guatemala and 22% from El Salvador[8].

The village residents' connection to Lamanai is more recent. It was first established when people arrived as refugees (later on as economic migrants) and lived in the archaeological reserve. Many Indian Church Village residents have a connection with Lamanai because they, or their parents, used to live amongst the ruins, where the park itself is now located. There are trees in the archaeological reserve planted by their grandparents and stories to tell about how they used to play by the lagoon. Lamanai holds childhood memories for many of the residents of Indian Church and serves as a foundation for the first shared memories that the village community have together.

Even though Indian Church residents are not the direct descendants of the Maya people who lived at Lamanai, they self-identify as 'Mestizo' (meaning ties to Maya and Spanish cultures). People appreciate Maya culture without actually knowing which Maya groups their ancestors came from (Mopán, Yucatec, Kekchi). Residents have a general connection to Maya heritage, despite their Maya origins erased by colonial institutions. [9]

Visiting Indian Church Village

Indian Church Village © Ella Békési & Heritage Education Network Belize

When you visit Indian Church today, you will find a quaint little village with an atmosphere like nowhere else. The village is a mix of Maya, Guatemalan and Belizean cultures with unparalleled knowledge of archaeology and a strong connection to life at Lamanai. It is a remote area where residents live without electricity, relying on the rainforest around them.

Next time you visit Lamanai, visit Indian Church. Learn about the local stories and meet the people who represent a controversial time in Belize's cultural history.

Written by Ella Békési

References if you want to read more:

[1] Pendergast, D. (1998) Intercessions with the Gods: Caches and Their Significance at Altun Ha and Lamanai, Belize. In: Mock, S.B ed. The Sowing and the Dawning: Termination, Dedication, and Transformation in the Archaeological and Ethnographic Record of Mesoamerica, University of New Mexico Press: Albuquerque, pp. 54-63

[2] Pendergast, D. (1981) Lamanai, Belize: Summary of Excavation Results, 1974-1980. Journal of Field Archaeology, Vol.8, pp. 29-53

[3] Graham, E. A. (2011) Maya Christians and Their Churches in Sixteenth-Century Belize. Gainsville: University Press Florida

[4] Mayfield, T. (2009) Ceramics, Landscape, and Colonialism: Archaeological Analysis of the British Settlement at Lamanai, Belize. Thesis (MA) Illinois State University

[5] Mayfield, T.D. (2015) The Nineteenth-Century British Plantation Settlement at Lamanai, Belize (1837-1868), Thesis (PhD), University of Arizona

[6] Pendergast, D. (1982) The 19th-Century Sugar Mill at Indian Church, Belize. IA The Journal of the Society for Industrial Archaeology, Vol. 8, No.1, pp.57-66

[7] Jonas, S. (2013) Guatemalan migration in times of civil war and post-war challenges. [Online] Migration Policy Institute.

[8] Woods, L. A., Perry, J. M., & Steagall, J. W. (1997). The composition and distribution of ethnic groups in Belize: Immigration and emigration patterns, 1980-1991. Review, [Online]. Vol. 32 Latin American Research (3), pp. 63-88.

[9] Békési, Ella E. (2017). Engaging With Non-Descendant Communities: The Relationship Between the Small Village of Indian Church and the Government Supervised Archaeological Reserve Of Lamanai. Unpublished MA Dissertation, University College London.

Exploring Present Day Heritage at Lamanai Archaeological Reserve: Indian Church Village