The International Costa Maya Festival

It was the summer of 1991 when the first festival took place. It was organized by the then San Pedro chapter of the Belize Chamber of Commerce, which was headed by Mr. John Edwards. The festival has gone through a lot of changes since its inception and it has grown to be Belize's biggest and most anticipated event of the year. One of the most significant changes has been the name from the Sea & Air Festival to the San Pedro International Costa Maya Festival. Another significant change has been from the beach queen competition to an international pageant called 'La Reina de la Costa Maya Internacional' with participation of beauty ambassadors from Central and North America.

In 1994 the Festival Committee for the first time introduced to the festival the participation of international artists with 'Los Ilegales' from the Dominican Republic. Ever since, San Pedro has seen numerous international artists like Kumbia Kings, Pablo Montero, and Ricardo Montaner. The festival continues to promote the culture of the Mundo Maya countries with their folklore dances, music, and food. It is a four day event which starts on the first Thursday of August with the selection of Miss Costa Maya International followed with the grand opening on Friday, which is attended by government officials, ambassadors, and other dignitaries. Saturday is known as Noche Internacional and it is the biggest evening of the festival when the international star takes center stage. On Sunday the final day of the festival more cultural shows, comedians and music close the event. It is here at the festival that one can see Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Belize come together to showcase the best their country has to offer.

The week of the festival is the most colourful and busiest week on the island. People from all over the country come to the island to be part of this one of a kind event. Hotels, restaurant, cart rentals, airlines, and water taxis are all busy and need to be booked in advance. It is a week when the air is filled with Punta, reggaeton, reggae, ballads, and salsa mixed with some marimba, steel pan, and mariachi music.

The San Pedro International Costa Maya Festival is indeed a grand event that is enjoyed by all those that participate. If you have not been to one maybe it is time to join your friends in San Pedro, Belize for a week of entertainment.

Costa Maya Festival Committee

The people who have been responsible of staging the festival for the last fourteen years are Gach Guerrero, Einer Gomez, Milo Paz, Marisa Salazar, Wil Alamilla, Ilna Nunez, Ada Graniel, Dorian Nunez, Marlena Gomez, Santiago Vasquez, Marivel Gomez, and David Marin. Wally Nunez, Jan Brown, Mary Rodriquez, Greg Vernon, and Leilah Pandy are new additions to the committee. Mr. Fernando Trejo, Mrs. Melanie Paz, Eiden Salazar and Mr. Pedro Vasquez have been volunteering their service ever since the festival started. Special mention must be given to Bruce and Victoria Collins of the USA for their unselfish guidance and advice to make the festival a success.

Ambergris Caye is the name of Belize's largest island. The history of the island goes back to the days of the Maya, European Pirates, and Mexican Refugees who fled during the Caste War. The descendants from Mexico make up most of the island's population today. The economy of the island was once dependent on the coconut industry, followed by the fishing industry, but it is now dependent on tourism.

Click here for a colorful two page (166k) Adobe Acrobat brochure on the island.

Ambergris Caye (pronounced Am-BUR-gris or Am-BUR-grease Key) is the largest of some 200 cayes that dot the coastline of Belize. Ambergris is 25 miles long and a little over a mile wide, in some places, and it is located in the clear shallow waters of the Caribbean Sea just off the tip of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

Her coastline is protected by the 190 miles long Barrier Reef, the second largest living coral reef in the world. In Mayan times, Ambergris Caye was a trading post. The Marco Gonzalez ruins at the southern tip of the caye and the Basil Jones site to the north, as well as the many recently excavated "home sites" in the heart of San Pedro Town give evidence to a former Maya population of 10,000. The narrow channel that separates Mexico and Belize was dug by the Maya to provide a trade route from the bay of Chetumal to the Caribbean.

Following the Maya came the whalers and buccaneers and the ancestors of present day residents who were fishermen and workers in the coconut plantations. Today tourism has replaced fishing as the major source of income for the islanders although the mahogany skiffs are still in service for charter fishing and diving.

San Pedro Town is the only inhabited area on the island. It's atmosphere is that of a small bustling fishing village but with "hot spots" of events, restaurants, and entertainment.

The town is clustered with wooden houses, some with Mexican decor, others Caribbean, and some still remain with the English colonial architecture. Gift shops, boutiques, bars, cafes, and restaurants adorn Front And Middle streets (now named Barrier Reef Drive/Pescador Drive). A short walk in town and you'll feel the friendliness of the people and witness the ease of their lifestyles as they go through daily life. Barefeet, tee-shirts, and shorts is the typical island dress code.

The people of the island are called "Sanpedranos" and speak English, Spanish, Creole, and Maya all at the same time, making it their own island dialect. They are proud of their heritage and are willing to share it with tourists. Before tourism picked up in the eighties, the islanders were mostly Mestizos (Maya-Spanish). Today they share their island with the Creole, Maya, Central American refugees, and Americans that have made San Pedro their new home. To see the many faces of the island, see the FACES & PLACES OF SAN PEDRO online photo gallery.

The island's biggest tourist attraction is the Belize Barrier Reef that runs parallel along the entire coast of Belize. The reef is only a quarter mile from the beach of Ambergris Caye making diving easily accessible. The island's seaside is jammed with jetties and dive shops which offer trips to the different dive sites and to the Great Blue Hole. There are also certified scuba lessons in NAUI, PADI, and SSI. One of the most popular dive sites is the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, which is only a ten-minute boat ride from town. The reef's beauty and richness has put Belize among the top ten dive destinations in the world.

The evenings on the island are a social event. You will find tourists and islanders at different bars and restaurants listening to reggae and latin music and sharing the day's adventures. For those that like to take a day off from diving, the travel agencies in town arrange day tours (click here) to the Maya archeological sites and Belize's lush rain forest. For those who just want to relax, a day on the sandy beach will certainly do.

When planning your next vacation to one of those exotic islands that offer everything but crowds, remember my name is . . . . . Ambergris Caye!

Gach Guerrero

For more information, click the links below...

AmbergrisCaye.com
Island Information
Community
History
Visitor Center
Goods & Services
BelizeSearch.com
Message Board
BelizeNews.com

Getting to Belize is easy. From the USA there are direct flights from Miami, Houston, Dallas, and Atlanta.  From Central America there is one daily flight that arrives in Belize in the morning.

 Once in Belize there are regular flights to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye.  Please check with Maya Island Air and Tropic Air. Both local airlines can be booked online.

Also from Belize City the San Pedro-Belize Express Water Taxi offers regular runs to San Pedro.  

From Corozal Town (border with Mexico) Maya Island Air and Tropic Air both have regular flights and the Thunderbolt Ferry Boat offers one trip a day.  

The San Pedro-Belize Express Water Taxi also offers daily trips from Chetumal City directly to San Pedro Ambergris Caye.

Also, within Belize, charters both by air and sea are also available.