Flashbacks

Flaskbacks articles

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A community that prays together stays together.  In this regard, our Island Community of San Pedro is highly Christian with some ninety percent Roman Catholic and ten percent other denominations.  A few of the sacraments that carry a lot of weight in the Roman Catholic doctrine are Baptism, Holy Eucharist (also called First Holy Communion), Confirmation and of course Matrimony.

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This site known as Friendship Park has always been a busy and popular spot.  In the 1950’s and 60’s, it was just an empty lot behind Daddy’s and in front of the Roman Catholic Church and in this spot the children of the village had the best softball and soccer friendly matches.  It was also the village spot where children played evening games of all kinds.  Then in 1985 the very

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This is how the village of San Pedro looked back in 1973.  The main pier and wharf, located in front of Daddy’s, was a wooden pier not suitable for vehicles.  But of course, there were no need for the few land rovers to go up the pier.

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The living Rosary is as old as Dia de San Pedro or some of those other religious traditions.  This rosary is prayed in the open, usually the park, and each bead of the rosary is represented by children of the schools.  The girls represent the “Hail Mary” and the boys represent the “Our Father.

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This is perhaps the very first demonstration in San Pedro and it was staged by San Pedro High School.  It was a peaceful demonstration soliciting help to commence the construction of a new building for San Pedro High School.  It was not a demonstration of thousands, but the entire student population which was about 90 boys and girls at the time in 1981.  The Government of Belize

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Who is this weary looking, sun-baked fisherman with no shoes, no shirt and of course, no problems?  Surprise, it’s no fisherman!  It is Harrison Ford in San Pedro during the filming of a famous movie, Mosquito Coast in 1986.  This movie employed some 100 Sanpedranos to dig canals, build structures and backdrops against which scenes of a tropical storm were filmed.  This scen

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Take a good look at these bones as they could be those of one of your ancestors if your great grand parents lived in San Pedro before 1918.  You see right after World War I there was an epidemic which started in the war trenches and it soon it infected people from Great Britain, Germany, France and Spain.

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Let’s scan this flashback from right to left.  The white picket fenced property belonged to Mr.

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Former President of The United States of America, Jimmy Carter became a very close friend of the late Right Honorable George Price.  They travelled to many countries to oversee the conduct of national elections and Price became a member of the Jimmy Carter Foundation.  On one such visit to his friend, Jimmy Carter also visited San Pedro simply to know la Isla Bonita and to relax. Of course George Price is not in the picture because he only travels to work not to relax.  Below is the note of condolence that Jimmy Carter sent on the passing away of is intimate friend George Price.

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For those of you who did not have the pleasure of meeting or even knowing the famous John Greif II, (Rest in Peace) here he is in his short pants. He was very influential in the opening of the first airstrip in San Pedro and today it has been named in his honor.  And for those of you who did not have the honor of knowing Mr. Al Felly, here he is in his white pants.  Mr.

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Just a few years before Independence 1977 to 1978 San Pedro was right into the swing of Miss San Pedro Beauty Pageants.  In 1977 it was Miss Elsa Paz our present mayor who took the coveted title of Miss San Pedro.  In 1978 she passed on the crown, cape and scepter to Miss Yolanda Gutierrez Henkis after a big change in the format.  When Miss Elsa contested, there was no swimsuit c

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Independence Day is Independence Day; big or small parade, it is still Independence Day.

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There are those people who love to join a patriotic parade and those who love to enjoy from their verandas. Independence Day parades have been jump up parades in San Pedro.

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Is this San Pedro or some other place in Belize?

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For close to fifty years San Pedro was known locally and internationally as a fishing village.  In fact it is fishing that brought about the revolutionary changes that transformed the island community into a prosperous town.  It was fishing that brought about the change from thatch houses to wood and concrete houses. It brought the change from dory to sailing boat to speed boats.

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The official name of this kind of cooking is called PIBIL.  It has the advantage of never being able to burn your food because you cook with heat only and not a direct fire.  Notice the hole on the beach where you will light up the firewood.  Place some hard rocks in the hole and heat them red hot.  When the fire dies down, you place your container with seasoned pork, beef o

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Mauricio Islas was one of the first co-hosts for the Miss Costa Maya International Pageant.  He shared the stage with local hostess Wilema Alamilla at the time when he was very popular in the T.V.

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In the early days of tourism in San Pedro, our Island was advertized as “laid back”  “picturesque”, “charming”, “quaint”, “slow”, and “romantic”.  This photograph in our Flashback Collection is a vivid example why such description.  Our tourist guides did not advertize through the media, not even with a business card.

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Every town and even villages have their central locations where people congregate for special occasions.  It was no different for the village of San Pedro in the 1940’s and 50’s where the Central Park was the main square.  The park itself was the large concrete floor of a building that once existed there.

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There are several places that are landmarks in San Pedro. Holiday Hotel, Ramon’s Village, The Catholic Church, Central Park, and Fido’s are among those landmarks.

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