The ancient Maya’s reverence for the summer solstice would have taken on even great significance during their much anticipated year of 2012, a Mayanist at The Lodge at Chaa Creek said while announcing that the Belize eco resort is keeping this centuries-old tradition alive with a week of special activities centred on the Maya Summer Solstice celebration of 20 June 2012.

Belizean anthropologist and Chaa Creek’s resident Mayanist, Joe Awe, stressed that the event will be marked with all the exuberance and respect his ancestors would have displayed thousands of years ago when they first recorded 2012 as the completion of a 5200 year cosmic cycle.

“This is a very important date in the Maya cosmological calendar, and we’re determined that it will be observed at Chaa Creek in much the same way that our ancestors would have, with a spirit of reverence and awe, as acknowledging that all humankind is part of an endless and timeless whole.

“However, that doesn’t at all mean that it won’t be exuberant and fun – I’m sure that’s the way it would have been celebrated on these very grounds thousands of years ago,” he said.

Chaa Creek is located in Belize’s Heartland of the Maya, and its 365 acre private rainforest reserve is home to the ancient Maya temple of Tunichilen, where Mr Awe said an authentic, respectful celebration will take place.

“Since the vast majority of the Maya’s recorded history, philosophy and cosmology was destroyed during the Spanish invasion of the 16th century we know little of what actually was done to observe the summer solstice in Belize. However, we will use what we do know, and what was passed down through the oral history of the Maya people still living here, to reconstruct an authentic Maya celebration of the summer solstice,” Mr Awe said.

The Chaa Creek area was a densely populated, vibrant ancient Maya agricultural, trade and ceremonial centre. The present day Chaa Creek eco resort is built on the banks of the Macal River, a major trade route linking the highlands of what is now Guatemala with the Caribbean Sea and coastal trade routes extending north into Mexico and at least as far south as Panama.

Situated between the huge metropolises of Caracol in Belize and Tikal in neighbouring Guatemala, Chaa Creek was a thriving area with an agricultural base that supported the major urban centres.

“When you stand on the grounds of Tunichilen today, or at Xunantunich, Cahal Pech, El Pilar and the other local archaeological sites, you can almost feel the presence of the ancient Maya.

Considering that the population of Belize was much greater back then, and the fact that the two tallest buildings in Belize are still ancient Maya pyramids, that’s not very surprising.

“The land is almost exactly the same as it was back then, we eat pretty much the same foods, and in Belize’s Maya villages the culture and rituals live on. That’s why we feel it is so important to keep certain ancient Maya traditions alive,” Mr Awe said, and added that Chaa Creek was still taking bookings for the summer solstice week, as well as the grand Maya Winter Solstice on December 21.

He said that more information will be released in coming weeks as details were finalised, but that there will be special presentations, activities and celebrations to mark the June 20 event.

By Vishal  Bagani

Everyone in today’s world is worried about the environment. There are so many differences in opinion about what to save, what to bulldoze and what animals are becoming endangered. So how can we save ourselves from the fiery feuds and uprisings regarding this subject? Well, for starters, if there’s no environment to live in, people won’t have too much to complain about or attempt to save. .

Humans have been known to flock to sandy beaches, so wouldn’t it be absolutely lovely if the entire world was one large area to build giant sand castles? Reckless application of chemical fertilizers, insecticides and pesticides pollutes the soil. Vegetables and fruits are quite injurious today, because they contain the poison of insecticides and pesticides.

There are many environmental issues facing our world today. If I were given a year to improve the earths environment I would focus on one issue the world faces today, it is our dependence on oil. This dependence we have is so strong we have started wars, killed and deceived people for oil. I think it is time we do something about it and try and find an alternative form of energy. Because soon this problem will be too much for us to handle and by then it will be too late. However, offshore drilling is devastating to the environment in several ways. As a result of the equipment and methods used to extract the oil, high levels of pollution are released into the atmosphere, disturbing nearby ecosystems.

Furthermore, organisms and animals in the areas surrounding the drilling are susceptible to many of the negative side effects of the process. Thus, it is evident that the negative environmental impacts of offshore drilling greatly outweigh any possible economic benefits. Secondly, the high level of drilling is consistently depleting the earth’s supply of many natural resources.

What is the Eco Kids Camp?

The Eco Kids Camp is a week long summer camp that teaches Belizean children to be stewards of their environment and instills memorable values that will have an impact on the way children conduct their lives, their relationship with our fragile Earth, and the sustainable development of our future.

What are this years themes?

Sunday: Biodiversity and Conservation

Monday: The Ancient Maya

Tuesday: Traditional Healing

Wednesday: Land Conservation

Thursday: Solid Waste Management

Friday: Responsible Tourism and Sustainability

Saturday: Belize Wildlife

Scholarship Eligibility:

• Only applications by Belizean children between the ages of 8 and 13 will be considered.
• Applicants must submit a 300 word essay telling us “why they want to be an Eco Kid” before June 4^th.

Judging Criteria:

• Two winning categories:
  • Eco-greenies (ages 8-10)
  • Eco-Saplings (ages 11-13)
  • Essays will be judged on creative subject content, structure and grammar.

Important Dates:

Deadline for Essays: Monday, June 4^th

Summer Camp Scholarships announced: Friday, June 15^th

Deadline for Camp registration: Tuesday, June 26^th

2012 Camp Commencement: Saturday, July 21^st

2012 Camp Closure: Sunday, July 29^th

Contact  Information:

All entries must be sent by email to marketing@chaacreek.com or posted to Chaa Creek, P.O. Box 53, San Ignacio, Cayo before JUNE 4^th 2012.

Please contact Alfonso Ayala at the office phone 824-2037 or email ma@chaacreek.com for any inquiries concerning Chaa Creek’s 2012 Eco Kids Camp.

Belize is probably the most eclectic melting pot of a country imaginable, with cultures such as those first Belizeans, the Maya, mixing harmoniously with more recent additions such as Spanish, British, African, European, Mennonite, East Indians and immigrants from the middle East, Asia … all over the planet, actually.

And the one thing we all have in common is mothers – everybody had one.  And the one emotion we all share is a love for that special person who brought us into the world, loved, protected and nurtured us.

So here at Chaa Creek we think it’s only proper that a day has been set aside to show our appreciation and love for mums the world over.

Sure, in a perfect world, every day would be Mother’s Day, but as long as we’ve set aside one Sunday to pay special tribute to that very special person, let’s make the most of it – even if it’s just a phone call or a single flower from the garden, to say, “Thanks Mum – we love you”

So from all of us sons and daughters here at Chaa Creek, we want to wish a very Happy Mother’s Day to not only our own, but all those mothers from all over the world.  No matter what we’ve done in life, it’s very safe to say that none of us could have done it without you.

Happy Mother’s Day!

I want to be an eco kid because I love nature and would like to help protect the rainforest.  When I visit the rainforest, the shade from the canopy of trees refreshes me, the smell of green trees relaxes me and the songs of the birds inspire me.  I hope and pray that I might find and follow a jaguar’s paw prints on a trail or I may look up high above and see an owl staring back at me.  I am lucky to have seen soldier ants carrying leaves to build their homes, pigs grunting by and howler monkeys hanging on tree branches, sounding like thunder.   It’s amazing how the rainforest makes such a positive impact on little me.

Now to think humans are destroying our animals’ homes by cutting down trees upset me.  Not only are trees the homes to some animals but they also provide the food that they eat.  Trees are also important because they make oxygen and hold together the soil in the forest floor together.  Flowering plants provide the perfumes of the forest and attract birds to pollinate.  Some plants are used for medicines to heal the sick.  So my wish is for people to stop chopping down our trees and see how priceless they are to animals and all human beings.

At my school, they teach us to reuse, recycle, reduce and compost to conserve the environment.   At home I collect all my moms plastic bottles, aluminum cans and styrofoam packaging and bring them to our school for the recycling program.   I help to water my mom’s plants at home and pick up waste in the yard and put them in the garbage bin.   I use a plastic bottle that I refill with water everyday for school.   But imagine if I can live, learn and practice all this with friends and animals in the rainforest,   oh how I would count my blessings and cherish every moment to be an eco kid of the rainforest.