Belize Tips

Belize Supreme Court Rules In Favor of Maya Land Rights

2010-07-03T15:50:00.000-07:00

In a Landmark decision handed down in the Belize Supreme Court on Monday, June 28, the Chief Justice Dr. Abdulai Conteh affirmed the Toledo Que’chi Maya’s customary land tenure rights in 33 Maya communities in southern Belize declaring that they enjoy Constitutional protection.

The judgment, which the United Democratic Party government says it will appeal, formalises the rights of the Mayan people of Belize to assert communal rights their ancestral lands.

The Maya Leaders Alliance (MLA) of Toeldo had sought the Court’s relief in an action filed in 2007 on behalf of the Maya villages of Toledo Districts and 23 other Maya Villages against the Attorney General of Belize, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and other interested parties.

The Chief Justice delivered the historic 62 page judgment, in which he pointed out that Maya customary land tenure has long existed and continues to exist in Southern Belize and also reasonably extends to the five Mopan Maya villages of Stann Creek.

Furthermore there is a historical, ancestral, social and cultural continuity between the claimants and the original, indigenous inhabitants which entitles them to lay claim to customary land tenure rights in what is today the Toledo District.

Great Belize Blue Hole Feautured on Bing

2010-05-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

The awesome Belize Blue Hole was featured on Bing as its picture of the day on 26 May 2010. This spectacular aerial shot you must see. In case you missed it, you can see it on the Belize TwitPic

The Great Belize Blue Hole is a large underwater sinkhole off the coast of Belize. It lies near the center of Lighthouse Reef, a small atoll 100 kilometres (62 mi) from the mainland and Belize City.

The spectacular natural wonder is circular in shape, over 300 metres (984 ft) across and 125 meters (410 ft) deep.

It is believed it was formed as a limestone cave system during the last
glacial period when sea levels were much lower. As the ocean began to rise again, the caves flooded, and the roof
collapsed.The world’s largest feature of its kind, the Great Belize Blue Hole is
part of the larger Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, a World Heritage Site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization.

New Placencia Belize Web Page Update

2010-05-11T09:11:00.000-07:00

We have recently updated our web page devoted to the Placencia Peninsula in Belize. The page features some new pictures you might want to look at. The Placencia web page is also available from our Belize Home Page. Readers are welcome to contribute trip reports and share Belize photos on Belize.com Please use the Contact Us form available on the website.

New Belize Tourism Board Director Identified

2010-04-07T17:18:00.000-07:00

She was announced as the new Director of the Belize Tourism Board on February tenth and today Seleni Matus was formally introduced to the media during a luncheon press conference at the Radisson Fort George Hotel. Flanked by the Minister of Tourism, Manuel Heredia, the Ministry’s CEO, Michael Singh, and the BTB’s new Board Chairman, Lindsay Garbutt, Matus said the new vision will entail a different approach to refresh our branding and marketing efforts that will advance Belize as a fiercely competitive destination.

“We need to very quickly, within the next two to three months,
clearly define an action plan that will articulate what the key
activities and the recalibrate tactics are that will take us to the next
level and position Belize as a leader in destination stewardship and
really help us to refresh the branding and marketing activities that we
have going.

Clearly, it’s also important that we look at transparency
and accountability. What we intend to do in this action plan of ours is
lay out very clearly what the indicators are that we will be using to
measure the results and to hold ourselves accountable to the people of
Belize. We are also looking to strengthen partnerships with key
stakeholder groups. What we’d like to do is demonstrate quick wins. We
need to create momentum, we need to be more effective, and so the
approach here is yes, we are working with the Ministry under longer
term, a tourism master plan, but what we intend to do over twelve to
fifteen months is demonstrate concrete advances and results toward
positioning Belize as a leader in destination stewardship.”

Eulogy: Remembering Sir Barry Bowen of Belize

2010-03-05T14:28:00.000-08:00

Sir Barry Bowen - the best known Belize business magnate passed away in an air crash on 26 February on Ambergris Caye along with his employees Michael and Jill Casey and their two children.

The Caseys were from Albany New York and worked as teachers at schools established by Sir Barry.

Sir Barry headed the largest group of companies in Belize including the Coca Cola and Guinness brewery, Belize Aquaculture Ltd, and the world class Chaan Chich tourism resort in western Belize.

Sir Barry was a licensed pilot in Belize and the U.S.A. His aircraft was a Cessna 206 with a Rolls Royce turboprop modification done by Soloy Aviation of Washington State in the U.S. You can read his Eulogy here: www.Belizean.com

Concerns Raised About Threats Against Journalists in Belize

2010-02-15T03:30:00.000-08:00

Belmopan, Belize 15 February - A hitherto unknown dimension has been introduced into Belize - threats against journalists. A report filed in the weekend issue of Belize's largest newspaper - the Amandala - reports mistreatment and threats made by United Democratic Party government operatives during a press conference hosted by Prime Minister Dean Barrow, The Amandala reported on page 8 of its print edition dated 14 February 2010 that:

"Prime Minister Dean Barrow’s press conference on Tuesday, broadcast live on Love FM, was shrouded in apprehension - not just because of the gloomy financial news he was bearing for the nation of Belize, but because an event that was dubbed a “press conference,” was mired by disruptive behavior by certain factions of the ruling United Democratic Party.

"As Barrow had announced on live national radio, scores of dignitaries were present, including the US Ambassador, the head of the Pan American Health Organization’s Office in Belize, the representative of the Organization of American States, ministers of government and their chief executive officers, as well as other senior managers in the public sector.

'The main concerns are the bold threats of harm made in the presence of the independent media, seemingly directed at media people from the Opposition, more specifically Vaughan Gill of Vibes Radio and Belize Times, but which some suspect may have been intended to intimidate other press workers.

'One media worker reported hearing a death threat, another, a threat of “a lashing in the head” directed at a political media worker.

“Dem bit@h wah get handle. ...Kill deh bit@h” were some of the comments reported by the media.

One journalist, neither from the Opposition PUP nor from the Kremandala camp, described the environment as “foul.”

"He said that even the US Ambassador commented after the press conference to the Prime Minister about the disruptiveness at the back of the room, where most journalists were forced to stand, since the bulk of the seats were occupied by the officials who had also been invited to attend what had been dubbed a “press conference.”

Belize Guatemala Border Problems

2010-02-11T13:25:00.000-08:00

Belize and Guatemala are experiencing problems along the disputed southern border. The Prime Minister of Belize Hon. Dean Barrow stated that:

"You might talk to the Foreign Minister of Guatemala and get one
position and then our ambassador is called in by the Comision de Belice
and he has another position. But overall we believe that there are,
whether wittingly or unwittingly, things happening that unless we are
extremely sensitive or careful, could provoke a shooting incident." More information at Belizean.com

Happy Birthday Rt. Hon George Price of Belize

2010-02-07T15:25:00.000-08:00

On January 15th the Right Honorable George Price celebrates his 91st birthday. To celebrate this occasion I went to visit Mr. Price at his home. As always Mr. Price welcomed me to his humble home, always making a fuss over my being comfortable. As we visited together, I couldn’t help but have a flashback.

The year was 1979 and the general election campaign was in full swing. In Orange Walk, a few hundred of us were waiting on the San Antonio road for our Party Leader, George Price. Mr. Price was campaigning in the rural villages of the Orange Walk District. It was already getting dark when we saw an old Land Rover drive up to the group of us waiting there. I recall at the time being very excited. This was the first election I was going to be a voter. As the Land Rover came to a halt, Mr. Price got out of his vehicle and waved at us. I felt my heart racing and then and there I realized that this man would lead us to independence.

George Price has a way of having a lasting effect on people. All my life I heard about Mr. Price. We know that from a very young age he showed discipline and determination; he is a man who always knew what he wanted.

Before politics he joined the Seminary studying to become a priest, but it seems that God had a different plan for him. That plan was for George Price to serve the people of Belize. After the 1931 hurricane, Mr. Price returned to Belize, worked for Sydney Thurton and shortly afterwards became involved in the Nationalist movement and the march towards independence began.

But while he is singularly recognized for attaining independence, he was the one that created this modern nation in Central America in the heart of the Caribbean called Belize.

Of course to create a country requires that as Belizeans we must all accept our own identity while at the same time understanding we are one people. George Price was the first Belizean to consciously start the campaign that we are one people — Creole, Garifuna, Mestizo, Maya , Chinese and all other ethnic groups.

For many years, Mr. Price was harshly criticized for keeping foreign investors out of Belize. His rationale was simple; Belizeans needed the space to grow so that we could compete against these foreign investors. Central America was riddled with so many examples where rich investors came in and took control of many of the important industries, turning their people into second-class citizens in their own country. He was not going to allow this to happen in Belize.

He could have let in the big conglomerates and the big hotels, but the result of that would have been that Belizeans would end up as cooks and cleaners; he wanted us to also be the owners. With that in mind, he introduced legislation that limited foreign ownership of Belizean land. At the same time he started investing in education. Schools were built in all the major cities, towns and villages. High Schools and Sixth Forms were built. Scholarships were made available to our brightest Belizeans.

In the development of our economy, Mr. Price came up with the concept of the mixed economy. He was convinced that as a young nation, the government must have an input in the development of its economy. That is why he encouraged industries in Belize that he felt were in the best interest of the nation.

One of his biggest gambles and successes was the sugar industry. He convinced Tate & Lyle to invest in a modern sugar factory in Orange Walk, develop thousands of acres of cane land and after a period of time, sell the cane lands to the cane farmers in the North. He did the same in the South with the citrus and banana industries. In San Pedro he encouraged tourism and he brought the Mennonites to come to Belize and settle in the Cayo and Orange Walk districts and work the land.

I recall as a boy in Standard 6 when Mr. Price came to our home for dinner, and took the time to speak to me about the importance of being bi-lingual in Belize. He said that in the future Belize would be trading closely with Central America and there would be many opportunities for Belizeans who spoke Spanish and English.

It is for the historians to write and translate the legacy of George Price, but this I know; Belize is a much better nation because of the hard work and dedication of the Rt. Hon. George Price.

And so on behalf of a grateful nation and of the People’s United Party, thank you Mr. Price, Happy Birthday and may God continue to shower you with peace, love and blessings.
delicious

30 Year Old Letter Reveals Evidence of Gold, Silver and Lead Deposits in Belize

2010-01-31T11:02:00.000-08:00

Belize, particularly the Cayo District, is being
explored for its store of precious metals, such as gold and silver, as
well as lead and other associated metals—tin and zinc. How much of
these metals are buried underneath the surface of the Chiquibul area in
western Belize is uncertain, but a letter dated August 15, 1978, made
available to a Belize newspaper recently, suggests that there may be more
“wealth untold” in The Jewel than Belizeans know.

According to the Amanadala Newspaper, "The letter, more than three decades old, reveals that
Dr. D. A. Andrews-Jones, Chief Geologist for Anschutz Minerals
Corporation, a US company of the famous Phil Anschutz, who reportedly
spent millions exploring for oil in Belize in the same era, had been
exploring Belize for metals in the 70’s and 80’s." Full Story Here.

Belize Newsletter

2010-01-28T15:41:00.000-08:00

In case you missed it, we have resumed our Belize.com Newsletter at http://www.belize.com/newsletter/

Former Belize Prime Minister George Price Hospitalized

2010-01-18T12:44:00.000-08:00

Rt, Hon., George Price, the Prime Minister who led Belize into independent in 1981 is hospitalized today and under observation after suffering a fall at his home in Belize City. The former Belize prime Minister recently turned 91.

According to T.V. reports "The senior statesman reportedly suffered a
setback when he fell from at his Pickstock home."

Price hit
his knee and was immediately transported to the Belize Healthcare
Partners where he is undergoing a battery of tests. According to family
members, the outcome of the tests will be known in the next few days.
It is expected that he will be released from the hospital later this
week.

Belize Year In Review - an irreverent look by G. Michael Red

2010-01-01T14:36:00.000-08:00

One of the most celebrated columnists in Belize - G. Michael Reid has just published his Belize End of Year Review. The gist here: When the shark bites, with its teeth dear, scarlet billows start to spread

Fancy gloves though, wears Macheath dear, so there’s never a trace of red ~ Mack the Knife

As we flip another page and dare upon a new leaf in this book of life, the pace at which time is flying is enough to make one downright dizzy. Seems like just yesterday we were preparing for Y2K and now here we are, in the imminence of 2012. 2009 was quite eventful with no paucity of drama and so before we sing auld lang sine, let us take some time to reflect on a few items from the archives.

Apart from usual news, you might say that ‘09 was a banner year for crime and scandals as everyday seemed to revealed new inappropriateness both in our streets as well as in the offices of government. Whether the art of politics is imitating the life on the streets or vice versa, there seems a definite correlation between the behavior of our parliamentarians and that of the common thugs on the street. With the finger pointing, name calling and seizing of other people’s property by force, the behavior of our politicians bear an uncanny resemblance to the ruffian mentality pervading our neighborhoods today.

Many will remember when a high ranking UDP operative threatened to throw a grenade in the House of Representatives during the last administration. Well, since then, the new choice of weapons on the street has become that very same grenade. While no grenades have yet been launched at the political level, Prime Minister Barrow did drop a major bomb in August. Barrow announced that he was strong-arming Michael Ashcroft’s shares in BTL and while it made the Zinc Fence ecstatic, it did major damage to investor confidence.

Mr. Barrow’s rationale about the halting of litigation also proved self deceptive as the move opened a new floodgate of even more complex and expensive court proceedings. While the real damage to Belize’s economy is yet to be realized, it has not been a bad thing for the Barrow clan of legal experts, who are heard laughing all the way to the bank. The move also proved beneficial pr wise, since it basically neutralized the most effective propaganda machine in town. Evan Hyde went public in his support of Barrow and the UDP and the pot was sweetened even further with astronomical advertisement dollars from BTL and the Social Security Board.

The full Belize End of Year Review at Belizean

Belize Rapper Shyne on Come Back Trail With Scott Storch

2009-12-29T01:37:00.000-08:00

Belize Rapper Shyne (born Jamal Barrow but now named Moses Leviy after his conversion to Judaism) is now on the comeback trail and working with Canadian record producer Scott Storch according to published media reports.

Storch told 24 Hip Hop that "We became friends after he was already in [jail] and I found out he was a
fan and he's just a hell of a cool guy," Storch continued. "I'm
looking forward to doing, not just one record, but doing a chunk on his
album."

Shyne was deported from the U.S. back to his native Belize earlier this year after serving a nine year prison sentence for his involvement in a shooting incident in New York.

According to Wikipedia: "Storch owns his own production company Tuff Jew Productions LLC. In 2006, Rolling Stone estimated that Storch had earned over $70 million in his career. According to a 2007 Forbes article, "Hip Hop Cash Kings," Storch was one of the highest-paid people in the music industry in 2007, having earned $17 million in that year. His fee per track was around $85,000, exclusive of publishing royalties. In July 2008, it was reported that Storch was unable to pay over $500,000 in late property taxes, and a warrant was issued for his arrest for failure to appear at his child-support hearing. According to his attorney, there had been "mismanagement" of Storch's finances."

According to 24HourHipHop, DJ Khaled's new album, Victory, features a new song by Shyne, Akon, Mavado called "All My Life." That opus is slated for a 2010 release. Presently, artists and producers are being flown in to Belize to work with Shyne.

Amazing Air Fare Deals American Airlines Extended

2009-12-26T14:06:00.000-08:00

We are glad to report that amazingly low airfares to Belize by American Airlines have been extended. As reported last week American Airlines ran super saver airfares to Belize - but you had to purchase before the end of the year.

Now these super air fares have been extended. Travel up to March 2010 for as low as US$149. More information here: Belize Airfare.

How To Save Money on Belize Hotels

2009-12-23T16:13:00.000-08:00

As we work on our main website Belize,com doing remodeling and updates we came across long-hidden strategies on how to save money on hotels and other accommodations. Belize is a coveted holiday destination. It is less than than two hours from the U.S.A. mainland, a Latino country with beautiful chicas and folks, we speak English, and have an immense variety of attractions. Because of its low population density - about 300,000 - mass market prices are not here yet. Remember we are twice the size of Jamaica with less than one tenth of THEIR population. Thus you have can have some smart tips to get value in the Jewel that is Belize.

Above: Spectacular and uncrowded beaches are common in Belize.

Noted Frommer's travel writer Lan Sluder offers this advice on saving money in Belize:

"In general, prices in Belize stores and shops are fixed, and there is no bargaining. Of course, bargaining is an accepted practice for big-ticket items such as real estate.

"For better prices at hotels, you may want to do some low-key bargaining, especially in the off-season. Just say that you’re on a budget and ask if any discounts are available.

"Ask: “Are there any discounts now?” or “Is there a better rate?” Walk-in rates can be up to one-third off the prevailing rack rate, especially from late August to early November. You may also get a discounted rate by booking direct via the internet rather than through a travel agency. Tour guides or dive shops might offer a better rate for groups or repeat business.

Belize Cogeneration Energy Project Kicks Off January 2010

2009-12-21T12:59:00.000-08:00

Belize's first partially renewable electrical generation project will launch on January 1 2010 according to local press reports monitored in Belize. At 30 megawatts projected capacity it will be another major player in the private electrical generating suppliers in this Central American country that still depends on Mexico for a substantial portion of its electrical supply. Belize Aquaculture Ltd., part of the Bowen group of companies already generates 30 megawatts utilising Wartsila heavy oil technology.

BELCOGEN is a U.S. $63 million project launched by Belize Sugar Industries Ltd. - the monopoly sugar producer in Belize. The plant will utilise bagasse as its primary fuel source along with heavy oil. It will sell some 20 megawatts of power to Belize Electricity Ltd., the country's main power and distribution supplier.

BELCOGEN's Business Development Director Richard Harris told the media today that:

“Basically taking bagasse, burning it in the boiler which creates heat which heats up water to produce steam and that’s high pressure steam that then drives turbines which then, with the generators produce electricity.

"What we’ve done is to install modern, higher temperature, higher pressure units in a separate facility that is run according to the national grid code. We’re a carbon-neutral project so we are able to make greenhouse gas savings if you were to look at the grid as a whole. In terms of the standards that we operate at, we comply with the World Bank standards which are significant and stringent standards in terms of air emissions, water; those sorts of things.”

Belize Commentary: Barrow, Briceno, B.T.L. & SMART

2009-12-13T12:17:00.000-08:00

A fairly balanced editorial on the current crisis facing the Belize government over its expropriation of the country's largest telco and the analysis of who is making the money in this fracas was summarized in this week's editorial in the Amandala newspaper:

It is
almost as if the heavyweight bout between BTL and SpeedNet is being
fought in another country. One of the reasons for this is that while
the public finances of Belize are under the most fierce of multiple
legal attacks from the Lord Ashcroft empire, Prime Minister Dean
Barrow’s law firm, his first wife, his daughter and his son appear to
be doing very well financially. There is not the sense that Mr. Barrow
himself is in any kind of business peril. You know how it is with
lawyers. It is only clients who really lose cases: the lawyers always
get paid.

On the SpeedNet side, the role of
the Opposition PUP Leader, at least in the media capital, is vague.
While his PUP radio station (Positive Vibes) and newspaper (Belize Times)
are zeroing in on Barrow/BTL, it appears as if it is actually Lord
Ashcroft’s lawyers who are filing all the briefs attacking Belize
Telemedia Limited and the Government of Belize. Just what exactly is
Johnny’s role here? Is he first Leader of the PUP Opposition, or is he
more Defender of Speednet, Family and Octopus?

There is a heavyweight fight taking
place between Belizean boxers, but it seems as if it is another
country. The masses of the Belizean people are essentially
disconnected, because the protagonists are wealthy and steadily getting
wealthier. Do any of them actually have anything to lose?

A long time ago, at the time of the
Sixth Amendment to the Constitution or something like that, this
newspaper decided, editorially speaking, that all the legal
pyrotechnics were plainly too confusing for us, as lay people. Nothing
has changed. The law doesn’t mean anything to the people any more. At
the dizzy level where we have been taken, the lawyers argue against
each other and the judges rule against each other. Nothing is absolute.
Everything is argument.

There is a time in the affairs of
oil producing nation states when the law gives way to the gun. We have
seen it happen in Iraq; we have seen it happen in Mexico; and we have
seen it happen in Nigeria. In Belize, the Never Delay oil well has now
come on stream, and our sources say Belize will soon be producing
30,000 barrels of oil daily. So that, there will have to be laid those
oil pipelines in Belize we first heard about more than forty years ago.

In a situation like the repeated
confrontations between Barrow and Ashcroft, Khomeini would have had
people marching in the streets from a while ago. In Belmopan, it is all
words, no march. Likewise, an Opposition party which saw a government
succumbing to corruption at both Cabinet and local government levels,
during a period of worsening recession and increasing inflation, would
have had enough energy to enter the streets. Not so with Briceño’s PUP.
Every Friday, for more than a year, the two PUP newspapers attack each
other, vilely, and confuse the followers of the blue.

Now this is an extraordinary period
in our electoral cycle, when Belize does not have any meaningful
elections until municipal elections in 2012. There are village council
elections due next March, but attempts by the two major parties, first
to whip up enthusiasm in their members/supporters, and later to claim
victory whatever the real results, will be ignored by the masses of the
Belizean people. So that, we will continue in this basically
disconnected way for the next two years. In an electorally empty period
like the one we are mired in, there is no functional democracy. Power
has passed into the greasy hands of the politicians, and the games they
play now feature lawyers. We voters are hidden away in the attic.

You should know that in a situation
like the present one, unexpected things can happen. By that we mean
that a charismatic leader may suddenly emerge who will excite the
masses of the people. Or, someone may be able to bridge the chasm
between neighboring gang territories. The masses of the people,
especially the younger ones, are completely bored. They are bored by
Barrow and Briceño, and the NBA playoffs are a long way off.

At the base of the pyramid, the
only thing that’s not boring is the suffering. Because of that
suffering, there is anger. The anger is not channeled inside the UDP
and PUP flows. It is a generalized anger. Men take it out on their
women; the women take it out on the children. Barrow and Briceño are
fighting in another country. In Belize, all there is after dark is
television and telephones. And bullets …

Former Guatemala President Kjell Laugerud Garcia Who Tried to Invade Belize Passes Away

2009-12-10T07:34:00.000-08:00

Laugerud
Kjell Eugenio Garcia, former president of Guatemala from 1974 to 1978,
died last night after suffering kidney problems and lung damage according to a report published in Prensa Libre today.

His
daughter, Karen Laugerud Lossi, told United Radio this morning that her
father's last months were marked by suffering, "But the Lord took
him in his arms."

Se added that he had long retired from the political arena, although remained in touch with former colleagues..

Laugerud Garcia, 79, was admitted to the military hospital on Sept.
17 later taken to the Nuestra Senora del Pilar Hospital.

The son of a Norwegian and a Guatemalan
Laugerud was born in Guatemala City and in 1945 began a military
career that led him to be director of the Escuela Polytecnica, Chief of
Staff, Defense Minister and President of the Republic.

To those in Belize, it is recalled that Guatemala was poised to invade Belize under President Laugerud Garcia when this was derailed by the earthquake of 4 February 1976.

Public Forum on Belize Dam Break Warning System This Weekend

2009-12-10T03:29:00.000-08:00

Residents of the Cayo district in Belize who live downstream from the hydro electric facility operated by Belize Electric Company Limited are being invited to a public forum on Saturday 12 December 2009 in San Ignacio town. The announcement is airing on all local radio stations.

Saturday’s forum is to discuss matters relating to the dam break warning system.

Organized by BECOL in collaboration with the Cayo District Emergency Management Organization, the event will feature presentations by representatives of the Meteorology Department, the Department of the Environment, Public Utilities Commission, Ministry of Health and Belize Water Services Limited.

The discussion is expected to focus on the procedures for the sounding of the sirens, the sound of the sirens, the time frame for evacuations should there be an emergency, the evacuation routes and safe areas. Organizers of the event say the public will be
given the opportunity to interact with the panel in an effort to make progress in finalizing the warning system.

The public forum on the Dam Break Warning System will be held on Saturday morning, starting at ten o’clock at the Cultural Centre in San Ignacio town.

Cheap Airfares to Belize 2010 Holiday Season

2009-12-08T07:18:00.000-08:00

Belize is one the best holiday and vacation destinations offering exotic beaches, snorkeling, fishing, tropical rain forests, caving and best of all a bilingual English-Spanish speaking country in Central America. Problem is airfares to Belize are relatively high compared to other destinations in the region. However airlines are gradually offering better airfares to and special promotions are becoming more common.

A tip just sent in by one of readers shows American Airlines airfares to Belize as low as U.S. $149. Here is a listing:

Departure     Destination     Fares
Chicago     Belize City     $179 OW
Dallas     Belize City     $172 OW
Hartford     Belize City     $149 OW
Kansas City     Belize City     $170 OW
Los Angeles     Belize City     $189 OW
Miami     Belize City     $149 OW
New York     Belize City     $149 OW
St. Louis     Belize City     $149 OW
Washington D.C.     Belize City     $149 OW

Travel Dates: January 1 through March 31, 2010.

Advance Purchase Requirements: A 14-day advance purchase is required.
Expiration: 12-22-09

Minimum/Maximum Stay: A Saturday-night minimum stay is required, and a 120-day maximum stay is allowed.

Blackout Dates: January 3 and 4, 2010.

And here is the current link: American Airlines Promotion.