The tropical storms which periodically razed the town in the 19th and early 20th centuries still arrive to do damage to it's aging wooden buildings, but they also flush out the open drainage canals, redolent with pollution, which crisscross the city. The two most popular with travelers are Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye. 36 miles north of Belize City, is the largest of the country's cayes. The Belize Zoo, which is located at Mile Post 30 on the Western Highway was founded in 1983 by Sharon Matola, who had been hired to manage a menagerie of local animals collected for a wildlife filmmaker who had come to Belize to make nature films. The zoo is a favorite tourists destination, but it's primary constituency is the children of Belize, several hundred of whom visit daily free of charge.
All visitor recieve personal guided tours from the well-trained staff.
Some animals are being bred with the intention of releasing the offspring into the wild. History of Belize Numerous ruins of ancient cities and pyramid-style ceremonial centers show that for hundreds of years, Belize was heavily populated by up to a million Maya Indians, who built elaborate cities and temples, and created advanced mathematics, astronomy, engineering and art. The Mayan empire, centered in Belize, reached it's height between AD 300 and 900, and then rapidly declined. Territorial skirmishes continued until 1798, when a small contingent of British soldiers and Baymen defeated the Spanish in a key battle on tiny St. George's Caye, putting a permanent end to Spain's claims to territorial rights in Belize. In 1859, the British signed a treaty with Guatemale whereby Guatemala agreed to withdraw it's claims to Belize and the British agreed to finance a road from Guatemala' s capital to Belize City.