Brianna Bennett - Greater Belize Media

Art Beyond the Grave: Preserving Belize’s Ancient Artifacts

Last week, we told you about the incredible find at the Caracol Archaeological Site, where researchers believe they’ve uncovered the tomb of an ancient ruler, possibly Caracol’s very first king. But it’s not just the tomb that’s making headlines. Surrounding it was a stunning collection of ancient art and jewelry, offering a rare glimpse into the lives and legacy of the Maya elite. In tonight’s Kolcha Tuesday, we take you inside the tomb and show you how experts are working to preserve these priceless treasures for generations to come. News Five’s Britney Gordon has the story.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

They say art speaks across time and deep in the jungles of Belize, it’s doing just that. Archeologists recently uncovered the tomb of an ancient Mayan ruler, and inside, they found more than bones. Dozens of intricately carved and painted artifacts were discovered, each one a masterpiece, crafted with care and fit for royalty. Rumaru Ku, an archaeologist with the Institute of Archaeology, says these pieces are powerful symbols of a civilization that continues to inspire.

Rumaru Ku, Archaeologist, Institute of Archeology

“This person who was actually found in there was of course one of the dynastic rulers. When it comes to that, he was not buried with common households. Items he was buried with very elite, very high-end material. So when it comes to ceramics, you usually find a lot of ceramics everywhere when it comes to sites. These ceramics are really important because not only are they painted, they’re polychrome, meaning that they have different designs on them, but they’re also formed in a way that they present something. So if you see the top of the lids for all of these pieces, they all represent an animal on them. So that itself just goes to show that they took time to make these types of potteries.”

You can tell just how valuable these ancient pieces are by the way they were made, from the materials used to the intricate carvings etched into every surface. Among the treasures found were several pairs of jade earpieces and beautifully detailed bone carvings, each one telling its own story. Right now, these priceless artifacts are being kept safe in a secure facility, where a dedicated team is working carefully to digitalize them, making sure they’re preserved and accessible for generations to come.

Katherine Coye, Research & Enforcement Officer, Institute of Archaeology

“But the reason we do this is because sometimes things happen. We live in a region that’s prone, not but we are prone to natural disasters. And because we don’t have maybe sometimes the best facilities that will properly protect these things from floods or hurricanes. One way we can perfectly preserve an artifact as it’s been found, is through digital photogrammetry. So the process of that is taking several pictures from every possible angle of the object, and the program basically stitches those together and it creates a nice little model in 3D space.”

For the past two years, the Institute of Archaeology has been working behind the scenes to digitize Belize’s entire national collection. They’re making the country’s rich history accessible to everyone, no matter where they are, preserving it for generations to come. Husband-and-wife archaeologists Allen and Diana Chase uncovered a tomb believed to belong to an ancient Mayan ruler, not far from another tomb found years ago. Ku says the added to the historical record and strengthened cultural ties with nearby communities, who see the artifacts as a powerful connection to their heritage.

Rumaru Ku

“Adding to lineage of Caracol really put a mark there because it gave us more attachments to outside territories from only Belize. We were able to find out that we were having communication with other countries outside, and that added on to, at least for me, it just showed that it, we can talk from all over. We’re not just a simple site. We can converse and have relations and connect f rom even outside our very own surroundings.”

When we think of Belize’s rich history, iconic treasures like the Jade Head often come to mind. But now, there’s a whole new way to experience these national artifacts and you don’t even have to be in a museum to do it. Thanks to a major digitalization effort, every piece found in Belize, from ancient tools to royal jewelry, is being carefully scanned, restored, and catalogued. And here’s the exciting part: viewers can now explore these artifacts like never before, looking underneath, behind, and all around them. The Institute of Archaeology says it’s a game-changer for both public engagement and research.

Katherine Coye

“Whether it’s just a tiny pot shard or if it’s a magnificent like jade mask. All of these things are considered a part of the national collection. However, some things cannot be manipulated in the way that we need to for photogrammetry. During my, I guess my live session with you guys, you saw that I was flipping it over and putting it down and spinning it. Some of these things, if you do that, they might just fall apart again. And we would really not, we wouldn’t wanna put them in a position to be more damaged. Because sometimes you can’t put things back exactly as they were.”

Context is everything in archeology, and these pieces are offering a backdrop to the story of Belize’s past. Coye says that offering a way for everyone to access that experience is crucial to the work that they do.

Katherine Coye

“ It’s great for students that would like to know more about artifacts because. During our work at the institute, we have noticed that sometimes people aren’t fully aware of the length and breadth of all the kinds of artifacts that are in Belize. So it’s really important for us to document as many things as we can and to be able to share those, especially with our Belizean students so that they can learn more about archeology. And demystify what’s happening in the Maya region.”

The National Collection is available on Ministry of Education’s Access 501 website, where anyone can view Belize’s ever-expanding collection and be inspired to connect with the communities that helped shaped Belize’s present-day culture. Britney Gordon for News Five.

Opposition Slams CARICOM Free Movement Deal as ‘Sinister’

The Opposition isn’t staying quiet about a major regional move. They’re raising concerns over the free movement agreement that Prime Minister John Briceño signed with several CARICOM nations last week in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Now, the PM says it’s just a three-year trial, and that it’s meant to help fill labor shortages here in Belize. But Lead Opposition Senator Patrick Faber isn’t convinced. He’s calling the deal ‘sinister’ and says while the Opposition supports regional integration in principle, free movement needs to be weighed carefully, especially when it comes to job opportunities for Belizeans.

Patrick Faber, Lead Opposition Senator

“It means that CARICOM nationals who qualify as skilled workers, artisans as professionals or entrepreneurs will be able to enter Belize without visa and work permit. Artisans with CVQs. It is actually what ITVET should be churning out when they train a carpenter, a welder or train a carpenter or a mechanic. But our ITVETs have not worked the way they are suppose to work, so that put us at a disadvantage. But the ITVETs in the Caribbean are working. The have well qualified welders, well qualified electricians, they have well qualified carpenters and plumbers and they are now able to hop on a boat, plane, train, without a visa, work permit to get the jobs that Belizeans are struggling to get, or if they get, they don’t have the wherewithal or proper skills, because we have failed to produce quality skilled labors in this country. It will also include media workers. All the media people need to be on notice. Those that don’t have qualification in the media realm, they will hire those people. Nurses will be able to come and fill those gaps, teachers and other professionals. We have agreed to put all of that into effect by October first 20205. Let me repeat, we are a hundred percent for regional integration.”

NPC Votes to Reinstate Expelled Members Except for Faber

Just when you thought the political drama within the United Democratic Party had simmered down, think again. One month after a National Party Council meeting descended into chaos, the U.D.P. gave it another shot this past Saturday. This time, things were quieter outside the party’s headquarters, but inside? A different kind of storm was brewing. Chairman Michael Peyrefitte, who recently returned to the helm after stepping down post-election, was determined to bring unity to a fractured party. But the meeting took a sharp turn when Opposition Senator Patrick Faber showed up uninvited. What followed was a standoff, a refusal by police to intervene, and a vote that ended up… on WhatsApp. News Five’s Paul Lopez has the full story on this latest chapter in the U.D.P.’s ongoing saga.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Inside the UDP headquarters, chaos once again took center stage. Chairman Michael Peyrefitte, freshly reinstated and hoping to steer the party toward unity, found himself presiding over yet another political showdown. The tension hit a boiling point when Lead Opposition Senator Patrick Faber made an uninvited entrance, behind familiar faces, including Area Rep Miguel Guerra, Deputy Chair Alberto August, and former candidates like Jose Espat and Omar Figueroa. And it didn’t stop there. August was soon seen calling on police to remove Faber, while another controversial figure, Brian ‘Yellow Man’ Audinett, also showed up.

Brian “Yellow Man” Audinett, Member, U.D.P.

“Mister Faber is a part of the NPC. Mister Faber has absolutely nowhere to go.”

And then this happened, an exchange of expletives between Audinett and Almendarez that got close to becoming physical.

Paul Lopez

“You think you deserve to be a part of this meeting?”

David Almendarez, Former U.D.P. Candidate, Belize Rural Central

“I dah wah Belizean, I deserve to be anywhere I stand. I dah wah lion, sih lion, Belizean. No comments.”

Inside the meeting room a resolution was put on the floor for voting: reinstate all expelled members of the U.D.P., except for Patrick Faber. And with that Chairman Michael Peyrefitte suspended the meeting and the vote was moved to Whatsapp.

Michael Peyrefitte, Chairman, U.D.P.

“The resolution is that everybody who was expelled from the party and not in good standing with the party, except for Patrick Faber, we are putting that these people be invited back into the party and we proceed with our conventions and national convention on October fifth. But the resolution right now, given his behavior and given his disrespect today, we are voting and putting to the floor of the NPC to not have him return to the UDP and I was the first one to vote to not bring him back to the UDP.”

And we challenged Peyrefitte about the validity of a Whatsapp voting process on such a weighty decision. Here is how he responded.

Michael Peyrefitte

“We have done Cabinet meeting by Whatsapp. It is a matter of a resolution for a decision. It is that simple.”

By five o’clock, the results were in and the message was loud and clear. The National Party Council voted unanimously to welcome back all previously expelled members… all except one: Patrick Faber. The only person who didn’t cast a vote was former Cayo Central candidate Mark O’Brien, who chose to sit this one out. So, what does Faber think about being the lone man left out? We caught up with him right after the meeting to hear his take on the day’s events.

Patrick Faber, Former Area Representative, Collet

“Mister Peyrefitte could say what he want. I have been here longer than he. I have worked for this party from fourteen years old. Dah nuh for me, deh nuh the have no convention in Collett. That is not one of the divisions in any danger for a convention to be held. But we must do what is right. You show me, they could say what they want to say, that is fine. Ultimately I know my value, not only for this party but as an individual as well, so it does not matter what they say.”

Faber then asserted that Almendarez physically pushed him while inside the building.

Patrick Faber

“He was pushing me through the door until saner minds intervened. So, expect that I am going straight to the Queen Street Police station to make a complaint.”

As the crowd trickled out of the UDP headquarters, the mood was far from celebratory. Several members didn’t hold back, expressing frustration over yet another in-person NPC meeting that ended in disappointment.

Ralston Frazer, Former U.D.P. Candidate, Belmopan

“I am very disappointed, but I do know that when you have genuine legitimate cause to carry one then you stand and carry on and sometimes in leadership you have to stand and carry on alone.”

Jose UC Espat, Former U.D.P. Candidate, Albert

“To be honest, I myself am getting tired of this. It seems that one person destroyed this whole meeting, Patrick Faber. If we cant get we act together this party wont go anywhere and to be honest I the get tired of this.”

Macario Augustine, Former U.D.P. Candidate, Stann Creek West

“It is one party and it is so disappointing of what is happening up there at the moment, but my main focus is uniting the party and moving forward.”

So, is this the final chapter for Patrick Faber in the UDP? Or is there still a twist in the tale? And the bigger question—can the United Democratic Party ever truly come together under one roof? Reporting for News 5, I am Paul Lopez.

UDP Closes Door to Faber; What is His Future in Politics?

Saturday’s NPC meeting marked Chairman Michael Peyrefitte’s first time back at the helm since his return, and it didn’t take long for tensions to flare. After Patrick Faber’s surprise appearance, Peyrefitte made his position quite clear: as long as he’s chairman, Faber won’t be running under the U.D.P banner in any future election. Here’s how Peyrefitte put it in his own words.

Michael Peyrefitte, Chairman, U.D.P.

“Patrick Faber he think he big and bad, he think the rule does not apply to him. But the UDP is not an abused woman. The UDP is not to be bullied. The UDP will not have its doors kicked down, by a sick deranged individual. What the UDP will do, what I believe will happen by five oclock is to say that we don’t want Patrick Faber in the UDP anymore.”

Paul Lopez

“Is that then the end of him and his run in the UDP while you are chair?”

Michael Peyrefitte

“I know that while I am chair, when the applications come for conventions for the different divisions and Collet is one of them, Patrick Faber’s application will not be accepted if he chooses to apply him.”

Paul Lopez

“Why did you all not just remove him out of the meeting and continue with it here?”

Michael Peyrefitte

“We spoke to the police. We are decent people. I know that people like you would love to see a fight. People like you would love to see June fourteenth. But that is not going to be repeated today. Nobody will commit a crime and try to remove anybody. You know what we do, remove him form the UDP. Remove him from the UDP is better than dragging him from upstairs. We called the police and they made it clear that unless there is a fight they wont intervene. So the political directorate of this country wants a fight. They say they will send the police if you start a fight, Peyrefitte if you start a fight then the police will come. We are not going to do that in the UDP, not today.”

Faber Fights Back: Says NPC Has No Power to Expel or Reinstate

Patrick Faber isn’t backing down. He’s pushing back hard, saying the NPC has no authority to vote on reinstating him, or anyone else, for that matter. According to Faber, the High Court already ruled that those expulsions were illegal in the first place. And when it comes to removing him from the party? Faber says the NPC can’t just pass a resolution and call it a day. He insists that’s not how it works under the U.D.P’s own constitution.

Patrick Faber, Former Area Representative, Collet

“This party is democratic. If they want to bring a charge against me, to say I am disruptive or I have breached the constitution of the party, I have no problem with that. Do it the proper way. Bring the charge, take it to the central executive and say Faber has to go and then send it to the ethic committee. The ethic committee will come in and say Faber why did you do this and give us your answer. Then the ethic committee will say, Faber you know what, you really out of order, you got to go. Here is your expulsion or suspension or a hundred dollars fine or a letter of reprimand. Those are the four outcomes from the ethics committee. Again, you will understand the court was clear there was no expulsion. So they cannot vote to reinstate me. I am a member of the party. What they may do is decide that they want me expelled and they have to go through the process, which is to bring a charge through the central executive committee. I the tell them how to do it.”

Faber Questions Legitimacy of Espat and Almendarez Representation

All eyes are on the internal dynamics of the United Democratic Party as Senator Patrick Faber raises a new concern: how will the party manage future NPC meetings when some constituencies now have two caretakers? Take Belize Rural South, for instance, both Beverly Williams and David Almendarez are holding the fort until a convention is called. And in Albert, while Opposition Leader Tracy Panton is the sitting area rep, there’s still the question: will Jose UC Espat continue as caretaker there?

Patrick Faber, Former Area Representative, Collet

“Ok, so they will reinstate everybody. What will happen in the subsequent NPC. So you will have Mr. Uk and the honorable Panton in the meeting? You will have Ms. Williams and crazy man Almendarez in the meeting? The convention is a stretch to take this party under Shyne Barrow and Michael Peyrefitte a little bit longer to October. The constitution of our party says the NPC is always active. So if you have some standard bearers that did not get appointed back as caretaker, there still is an NPC because each constituency has a chair and secretary. They change up the chair and secretary. They are preparing the party for Tracy Panton they say, but yet Tracy Panton cannot give her input on what is right for the party in terms of the list. All we are asking is for them to do what they ought to do by the constitution of the party. So show me where the eleven people who supported Tracy was expelled. Better yet show me where the process that was endorsed by the constituencies. I sure Belize Rural Central never endorse Almendarez. Not a single soul from the UDP Belize Rural Central endorse Almendarez. They never asked, they never bring it to NPC. So how Almendarez become a candidate. Then he must come to the meeting and vote, but Ms. Bev, who was duly put there, cannot come and vote.”

Moses Barrow: “Patrick Faber is the Sickness in the UDP”

Former Mesopotamia Area Representative Moses ‘Shyne’ Barrow is standing firm, insisting he is the duly elected leader of the party, even as he faces a challenge from Tracy Panton. On Saturday, Shyne threw his full support behind the motion to remove Patrick Faber, going as far as to say that Faber is the real ‘sickness’ plaguing the U.D.P. Strong words from a man fighting to hold onto the reins of a deeply divided party.

Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Former Area Representative, Mesopotamia

“We didn’t anyone to physically assault the colleague.”

Paul Lopez

“How regrettable is this knowing that this does not bode well for the unity you all are attempting to build?”

Moses “Shyne” Barrow

“That is Patrick Faber. It is what he has always been about. I just hope that whoever succeeds me as leader does not take any direction from him. He has been prone to self-destruction. He was at the mountain top and he threw himself from the mountain top. He is definitely not someone to take advice from.”

Paul Lopez

“Any attempt to remove Patrick Faber permanently will definitely not sit well with Ms. Panton and her team. So this is a continued slippery slope we are going down.”

Moses “Shyne” Barrow

“Who came to the meeting today? You ever see me or any of the colleagues that are official leaders go to Euphrates or involve ourselves in anything Ms. Panton is doing. But it is quite unfortunate, there must be consequences. It cant be that the party move forward with these types of tumors. We need to treat ourselves and it is evident that after today he is the main sickness in the UDP.”

Police Decline UDP Request to Remove Faber

As we reported earlier, the United Democratic Party made a bold move over the weekend, calling on police to remove Patrick Faber from Saturday’s meeting. But in a surprising twist, law enforcement didn’t budge. Today in Belmopan, reporters caught up with the Commissioner of Police, Doctor Richard Rosado, to find out why the police chose to stay out of it.

Dr. Richard Rosado, Commissioner of Police

“I want to echo that the police department will not intervene in the domestic affair of any political party. If an incident occur that requires the police to intervene if a crime has occurred, it will be thoroughly investigated and of there is evidential material to support the charges, charges will be load.”

Cow Pen Man Killed in Bicycle Dispute

A tragic and shocking incident out of Cow Pen Village; police say a man was killed over something as simple as a bicycle. The victim, Carlos Garvin, was found lifeless in front of a liquor store on Friday night, the result of a fatal chop wound to the upper body. Authorities say the attacker was armed with a machete. So, what led to this deadly confrontation? Here’s what police know so far.

Dr. Richard Rosado, Commissioner of Police

“On July twelfth about seven twenty-eight p.m. based on information received police discovered the lifeless body of Carlos Garvin near a local liquor establishment in the said village. The victim sustained fatal chop wounds in the upper body. Preliminary investigation revealed that the attack may have been motivated over a bicycle. Police subsequently apprehended the suspect and charges will be laid today.”

Reporter

“Any alcohol involved?”

Dr. Richard Rosado

“We have not ascertained that as yet but we do know the incident happened near a local liquor establishment.”

American Arrested for Shipping Guns and Ammunition into Belize

A major bust at the northern border has landed a U.S. national with Belizean roots in serious trouble. Authorities say the man was arrested after a shipment inspection on Friday uncovered three firearms, multiple magazines, and over a thousand rounds of ammunition. According to Commissioner of Police, Doctor Richard Rosado, the suspect had already arrived in Belize through the PGIA before the shipment was flagged. Tonight, we take a closer look at what led to this arrest and what charges the individual could be facing.

Dr. Richard Rosado, Commissioner of Police

“On the twenty seventh of June during a routine custom inspection at the northern border led to the discovery of an undeclared dutiable in a shipment. Upon further examination on July eleventh, in the presence of the owner, custom officers subsequently discovered three firearms, several magazines and approximately one thousand, three hundred rounds of ammunition. This subsequently led to the arrest of Darnane Garcia for illicit trafficking of firearms and ammunition. The individual that was detained is a U.S. national but his parents are Belizean. From our information he was returning home. And, he arrived in Belize through the PGIA on July eleventh and subsequently went to collect his items at the northern border which was shipped before his arrival in Belize.”

Reporter

“He is a U.S. armed veteran I believe?”

Dr. Richard Rosado

“We have not confirmed that as yet, but I highly doubt it.”