We all know that our last post office, the Paslow Building, was burnt down in an infamous case of arson. But did you by know that Belize's first post office built of bricks in 1809 was also destroyed by fire a century later in 1909? or did you know Regent Street used to be "Front Street" or that Newtown Barracks was in the 18th century a real life army barracks for soldiers? All those facts about Belize are available in a new book on the old Belize City. The book was launched today by its author Joe Iyo and he told us why it is an important study.
Dr. Jose Iyo, Author
"The book is looking at Belize from about 1800 to the end of the 19th century essentially looking at sites and places of memory; sites in the sense that old places like Government House where we at, the public hospital, the market, the bridge. So it's looking at all those places that founded the core city that we call today Belize City."
And for proof of the city's little known past Iyo points to a well known area of the north side.
Dr. Jose Iyo,
"Fort George. You will find out it used to be an island and today its part of the north side. Children will find this strange when you tell them it used to be an island but when they see the picture and are told the story of how it was reclaimed and made part of the northside, they will have a better appreciation of history and the past."
But this book is written not just to note historical curiosities, it is written to teach lessons that only a historical retrospective can provide.
Dr. Jose Iyo,
"Its important because sometimes in spirit of development we have a tendency of forgetting. We believe the past is important because it forms our behavior in the future. So we for example, the importance is not having it in a book but the importance is avoiding some of the mistakes that we made in the past. This book could probably stimulate discussion on how to look at these other sites we have in Belize and rather than tear them down, probably we can begin to look at other ways of preserving them."
And while it may someday affect policymaking, right now it's probably best used as a tourist resource.
Yasser Musa, NICH President
"All tour guides should have it as a guide for them so that when they go to a building, for example the Government House of Culture, they can explain accurately what it is the history of this building is. Or when they go to the old prison, many kids only know it as a museum because they didn't know it was a prison. So it has a tourism/cultural importance. But beside the tour guide significance, it also has significance for students because, as I said, young people aren't aware that many places in Belize City are no longer with us."
Dr. Jose Iyo,
"Sometimes we forget that tourism is not just for the people outside, tourism should also be for the people from the country. So if somebody from P.G. wants to know about Belize and this becomes a very good handbook for that kind of enterprise."
The book is available at the Museum of Belize, or the House of Culture.
7NEWS produced for broadcast by News Director Jules Vasquez
Edited and Prepared for the internet by Keith Swift