About Toledo

Toledo is the southernmost district of Belize and has a population of 23,815. The district capital is Punta Gorda, named after a settlement which was developed there and referred to as "Fat distinct cultural diversity that is not found elsewhere in Belize, and at least five distinctive cultures have settled in the Toledo District which contributes to the area’s great cultural heritage. The Toledo District, the far south, demonstrates great potential for tourism growth and has seen an increase in the number of arrivals over the last few years. Toledo is unique.

Records indicate that it was not until 1868 that the Toledo District was first colonised. The first settlers were from the southern states of America and established a small    community, known presently as Cattle Landing. The land was purchased and evolved into cattle ranching, was penetrated by a road and was founded as the Toledo Settlement. By the 1870s these settlers established sugar plantations, mills, and distilleries and brought East Indians to work in these rustic factories and on the plantations. The    descendents of the early pioneers to the Toledo District continued to work in the timber and sugar industries. As a result of labour shortages, the sugar industry never flourished as much as it was expected, in comparison to the northern districts of Corozal and   Orange Walk. Only one businessman by name of Bernard Cramer was successful in his plantation operations. By the end of the 19^th Century, Cramer had established estates along the Sarstoon, Temash, and Moho Rivers, the three largest rivers in the Toledo District, for the cultivation of coffee, rubber, cacao, bananas, and different spices.

In the late 19^th and 20^th Centuries, Maya groups migrated from neighbouring Guatemala to Belize, specifically the Toledo District, fleeing from oppression and heavy taxation. The Mopan Maya community of San Antonio is one of the oldest Maya communities since Toledo was colonised in the later half of the 19^th Century. This community is comprised of descendents from the Guatemalan village of San Luis Petén, whose population immigrated to Belize in 1883.

Toledo is often times called the ‘Forgotten Land’ and is the least visited destination in Belize: even though Toledo consists of 1,669 square miles of beautiful mountains, rivers, rainforest, deserted offshore islands and representation of all the cultures of Belize, Maya, Garifuna, Mestizo, East Indian, and Creole.