Belize 2012 the Maya Heartland - where will you be when the world begins anew?

Santa Rita is located on the outskirts of Corozal Town and is bordered on the east by the Caribbean Sea. It is near the Coca Cola factory just off the main road leading to the border town, Santa Elena, on the way to Mexico. Santa Rita was probably the ancient coastal trading city known as Chetumal during the Late Post-Classic Period.

In ancient time the Maya occupied parts of Mexico, all of Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and parts of Honduras. Maya borders did not follow the political boundaries of today. Just prior to European conquest, the northern part of one Maya province lay in what is today's Quintana Roo (Mexico); the southern part was in Belize, with the southern extremes including Guinea Grass and Northern River. Ancient Maya Chetumal was not today's Mexican Chetumal, but what is now Santa Rita on the outskirts of Corozal Town. Ancient Chetumal, wealthy because of the large production of cacao and honey, ruled the areas on both sides of the Rio Hondo.