Ancient artifacts, relics of the colonial history of this
great land of ours, you can easily see them in our museum and various houses of
culture in Belize. Some of them are a few hundred years old, some are
thousands. Some were left behind by the English and Spanish who made their
presence in Belize, others by the ancient Maya. “But I have one of those” you
might say.
We have heard it before. Your grandmother had old bottles; while you
were digging for your farm you came across a stone tool or ceramic pot. Some
red flags may go up, fear creeps in, that the Institute of Archaeology is
coming, along with the police, to arrest you for having a bottle and take away
your land because you found a pot.
Then again you may have different ideas. How much can I
get for it? The ‘how much’ idea is quite common in our jewel. The historic
value fades away as the dream of big money comes to light. The evils of greed
take over and pieces of Belizean history are gone forever. Every time a single
piece gets sold and is taken from Belize, we lose a part of what makes up the
story of this nation, which did not begin with the coming of the Spanish or
British, it begins a lot further back.
“But these things mean nothing to me.” We have heard that
one too. People offer to sell things to us, and we refuse to buy, as it is
quite illegal to buy or sell antiquities. But there is another reason we refuse
to buy. History is not for sale, and we believe it is up to every citizen of
this nation to safeguard our cultural identity. It benefits us all, by telling
us where we came from. It also benefits us as it can mean a lucrative future in
cultural tourism, which means money in the bank for Belize.
So, what should you do if you have these things at home?
What should you do if you find a pot or a stone tool on your property? You can
donate it to us, or apply for a license to have a private collection. Yes, you
can legally hold artifacts and display them by
