The Belizean culture is unlike anything else on Earth. It’s a unique blending of many different influences, ranging from the Spanish Mestizos, to the German Mennonites, and the Ancient Maya. Today, aspects of these people live on in the nation of Belize and its folktales. Here are some of the land’s most compelling legends:

9 years ago I found myself alone, raising a 7 month old little baby boy. It was not what I had planned or expected. So, I sat down and asked myself, what do I want for Jack and what would I want our future to look like. I created a vision for us. I knew that I had a special little guy and I decided that just because he only had me, he would have all the opportunities any child would have and I drew it out.

The costumes were amazing. Men with jaguar skins and masks, their sweat glistening in the firelight as they twirled and danced, to the rhythmic drumming. Necklets of amber and jade, beautiful feather headdresses, animal masks all swirling, gyrating and generating a heady mixture of sensuality, fear and historic significance.