Belize earns new UNESCO recognition

Belize announced the official inscription of Krismos Bram and Sambai, cultural expressions from the coastal village of Malanti in Wales, on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The decision was approved during the 20th session of the Intergovernmental Committee, held in December 2025 in New Delhi, India.

During the session, Rolando Cocom, director of the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH), emphasized the importance of this recognition for the local community and the country. He stated that the distinction represents a significant step forward in efforts to safeguard values, knowledge, and practices passed down through generations, and reaffirms Belize's ongoing commitment to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The nomination was made possible through the direct participation of the Gales Point community and the Kriol National Council, in coordination with the National Institute of Culture and History. The process also received support from the Institute for Social and Cultural Research, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Education, Culture, Science and Technology, led by Minister Francis Fonseca.

In Gales Point, the Christmas season keeps centuries-old traditions alive. The Krismos Bram is a lively procession of music, dance, and storytelling, in which residents visit each house in the village during Christmas and Boxing Day. Meanwhile, the Sambai is a circular dance performed around a bonfire, connecting different generations through rhythm and collective celebration.

With origins dating back to the 18th century, these cultural expressions emerged from the resilience of enslaved Africans, who transformed adversity into a form of identity and cultural expression. Their inclusion on the UNESCO list is the result of preservation work built over many years.

This international recognition strengthens cultural protection initiatives and encourages the transmission of these traditions to new generations. With UNESCO's validation, Krismos Bram and Sambai are consolidated as living expressions of Belize's cultural heritage, now projected onto the global stage.

The return of the king: one of the great recent archaeological discoveries

In addition to its cultural recognition, Belize also gained international prominence in the field of archaeology. After more than four decades of excavations at the Mayan site of Caracol, a team led by archaeologists Arlen and Diane Chase of the University of Houston made an exceptional discovery by identifying the tomb of Te' Kab Chaak, the city's first known ruler and founder of its dynasty.

This discovery is especially significant, as it is extremely unusual in Mayan archaeology to associate human remains with a historical figure identified through hieroglyphic inscriptions. Furthermore, it is the only ruler's tomb discovered to date at Caracol.

Te' Kab Chaak ascended the throne in 331 CE and ruled Caracol in its early years, before the city became one of the most powerful in the southern Yucatán Peninsula. The burial chamber, approximately two meters high, had walls covered in red cinnabar, an indication of the ruler's high status. Among the artifacts found were ceramic vessels, jadeite jewelry, carved bone tubes, and a mosaic death mask of jade and shell, which originally covered the face of the Maya king.

To travel to Belize from Brazil, Copa Airlines offers flights via Panama, where the company operates its main hub. From the United States, there are flights via Miami and Dallas with American Airlines, via Houston with United Airlines, and from Atlanta with Delta Air Lines.