Belize History

Belize Birds Limited

The village of Santa Martha is in the Orange Walk District. It is located 17 miles to the southeast of Orange Walk Town.

It is 14 miles from the Carmelita junction into the Old Northern Highway.

History of Santa Martha Village

(as prepared by the School Principal and the Standard 5 Students)

The Beginning

            A group of farmers from the Corozal District were desperately in need of farming land. After much effort in looking for the needed land they found a large tract of fertile land which they started working immediately. The area was known as Rancho Creek and it was not too long when an American by the name of Mr. Frank Kirk came and informed them that the land was his property and ordered them to leave immediately.
            The farmers had no intention of leaving the land so they approached their Area Representative, the Hon. Florencio Marin who was also the Minister of Natural Resources at that time. The minister advised them to pay no heed to Mr. Frank Kirk, but instead to put up two big signs. One sign should read “Tierras sin hombres no valen” and the other “Hombres sin tierras no valen”. He also promised them that he would do his best to convince the government to acquire the land. This promise became a reality in 1975 when 150 acres of land were acquired for the farmers.
            In 1978, the first settlers came to settle in the newly acquired tract of land. The pioneers were Señors Ismael Aldana, Pablo Nalladanez, Steven Borland, Valentin Ramirez, Bernabé Tun, Bruno Cantún, Señora Francisca Patt and the Gallego Family.

How the Village got its Name

            One day in 1983 or there abouts these people wanted to put a name to their beloved newly found community. So, they invited the Hon. Florencio Marin and they got together to decide on a name. After much discussion the Hon. Florencio Marin exclaimed, “Why not call it Santa Martha!” Everybody present agreed. It is to be recalled that Martha is the name of the wife of the Hon. Marin and so it was a way of telling him thank you for the invaluable help he had given them to obtain the land. And so the village was named in honor of Mrs. Martha, the wife of the Hon. Florencio Marin.

Majority Ethnic Group and Population

            The majority of the people in Santa Martha is Mestizo and the present population is approximately 500.

Services Available

            In Santa Martha there is a primary school which was opened around 1980. There is a community telephone. There is health center and a post office. In August 2004, the potable water system and electricity service were inaugurated by the Prime Minister, Hon. Said Musa.