Mennonites of Belize

By Kevin Williams

Reader Jerry shared some photos with me of where he lives: Belize. How itooks gorgeous there.  In the western hemisphere I have never been farther south than Brownsville, Texas or Key West, I'd love to venture across the Rio Grande one of these days.

The Amish have made tentative steps into Central and South America over the years.  Belize seems to be a popular spot.  One of the best books about the Amish that I have ever read was actually written by an Amish man, it details an attempt to start an Amish settlement in Hondurus in the 1960s.  It didn't last, but the narrative is compelling and traces of the community remain to this day.  This story was told in detail in the book Sunshine and Shadow. 

There are a handful of copies of Sunshine and Shadow available on Amazon now.

Meanwhile, let's take a look at some of the Belize photos. Thank you, Jerry!  Notice the horse-drawn buggies are more like carts, doubt the settlement has an actual buggy-maker.