Cayo Scoop! The Ecology of Cayo Culture

The Benque House of Culture got their Heritage Tour sign installed. They are stop number 4 on Benque's new Heritage Tour.  Did you know it used to be the police station?  If you want to see the brochure for the tour, along with the map, it's here: https://drive.google.com/#folders/0BxVpwCISfz8aWHppVnVEdHBSa1k ; Congratulations, Benque, HoC!

"This structure served as the Police Station from the early 1950s until 2000.  It was officially opened as the House of Culture on 6 September 2001 under the auspices of the Community of Artists for Cultural and Historical Endeavors(CACHE) and the National Institute for Culture and History(NICH).  The permanent exhibit includes a historical timeline     of Benque Viejo, archival materials such as documents and artifacts donated by Benqueños.  Among the objects stored in the HOC is a marimba, the autochthonous musical instrument.  The House of Culture organizes temporary exhibitions by local and foreign artists and promotes a range of activities and workshops in music, visual arts and crafts."

The Benque Viejo Tourism Committee will be launching the new tourism plan, website, travel guide, and Heritage Tour for Benque tomorrow at 2:00pm in Centennial Park.  This is a monumental event for Benque, and Cayo, because Benque will be another tourism destination.  Lake Benque is on its way to becoming a major tourist attraction too.  Everyone is invited.

They have a new fb page: https://www.facebook.com/BenqueViejoDelCarmen

Benque has a really smooth looking, high resolution map on their new website. The Benque Viejo Tourism Committee has a good mission: develop Benque Viejo del Carmen as a unique and attractive destination ensuring sustainable development through responsible tourism that will allow visitors and the local community to benefit from the experience of the local culture and heritage while retaining the small town charm as well as allowing for convenient access to the surrounding attractions.  Now they just need more hotels and restaurants that people can go to after visiting Xunantunich, Actun Chapat, Poustinia Art Part, and Lake Benque. 

In related news, Benque has gotten over 2 million dollars from the Belize Municipal Development Project, which they are planning to use to upgrade the sidewalks around Centennial Park and for the paving of some streets which are part of the Heritage Tour.

http://discoverbenque.com/

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxVpwCISfz8aY3kzODh1d3Bia1k/edit