Mennonite communities in Belize

Photo Essay about 2 Mennonite communities in Belize I visited in August and September 2018.

Photo Essay about 2 Mennonite communities in Belize I visited in August and September 2018. Springfield is a traditional and conservative Mennonite community (30 families in this settlement), as Shipyard is a bigger community (over 3000 people) and more integrated in the Belizean society.

Mennonites are members of an Anabaptist Christian Church. The ancestors of these groups left South Russia in 1873 and settled in Manitoba (Canada), before migrating to Mexico and then British Honduras (Belize) in 1958. They are 10 colonies in Belize, a population of 12 000 people.

The Mennonites of Belize speak Plautdietsch (Low German) in their daily life. The women wear bonnets and long dresses and men denim overalls and hats. They use horse and buggy for transportation.

International Photography Awards 2019 (IPA) 2019 Honorable Mention

(Other photos available)