San Pedro Columbia is a village

Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 in Toledo District

Toledo District

Toledo District is the southernmost district in Belize, and Punta Gorda the District capital. Although the least developed region in the country, it features some of the most pristine rainforests, extensive cave networks, coastal lowland plains, and offshore cays...

, Belize

Belize

Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...

, located about two miles from the ancient Maya

Maya civilization

The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...

 ruins of Lubaantun

Lubaantun

Lubaantun is a pre-Columbian ruined city of the Maya civilization in southern Belize, Central America...

. In 2000 San Pedro Columbia had a population of about 700 people. The population is mostly Kekchi Maya with some Mopan

Mopan

Mopan may refer to:*Mopan language, a Mayan language spoken in Belize and Guatemala*Mopan people, an indigenous Maya people, whose native language is Mopan*Mopan River, in Belize's Cayo district...

 Maya. San Pedro Columbia has Belize's largest settlement of Kekchi. Most of the population came to Belize from the Petén

Petén Basin

The Petén Basin is a geographical subregion of Mesoamerica, located in the northern portion of the modern-day nation of Guatemala, and essentially contained within the department of El Petén...

 region of Guatemala

Guatemala

Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...

 in the late 19th century. The village is known for the hand woven embroidery

Embroidery

Embroidery is the art or handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as metal strips, pearls, beads, quills, and sequins....

 produced there.

Ancient history

Lubaantun along with several other sites in the local area is a Mayan city inhabited at least as early as the Mayan Classic Period. Lubaantun has unusual features of construction including drystone work and rounded corners that set it apart from other Mayan sites.

External links

• San Pedro Columbia on SouthernBelize.com