Several Archeological Sites Across Belize Defaced

The Institute of Archeology is issuing a stern reminder to the public following recent reports of graffiti at the Xunantunich archeological site, warning that such acts cause permanent damage to Belize’s cultural heritage and carry serious legal consequences.

Authorities say several archeological sites across the country have been targeted by vandals over the years. Graffiti on protected monuments is a criminal offense and may result in fines of up to seventy-five thousand dollars or imprisonment for as long as five years.

Director of the Institute of Archeology, Dr. Melissa Badillo, said the latest incident is deeply disappointing, especially given ongoing efforts to educate visitors about the importance of preserving ancient sites.

“It is very disappointing to know that visitors would go to our site and conduct themselves in this type of manner,” Dr. Badillo said. “We are always engaged in educational awareness, whether it’s with schools, with tour guides, with communities, with researchers. And it is really disappointing to see these kinds of actions taken and or post this afternoon was just to remind people that this type of activity is illegal and there are penalties that can be placed upon some person if we can pinpoint or detect who the pers, who the exact person was, who conducted this type of activity, which of course is the unwanted graffiti on these ancient monuments.”

Dr. Badillo noted that managing visitor behavior can be challenging, particularly in heavily trafficked tourist areas. “That said, we do know that there are some challenges when working with the tourism industry. The site is open to anyone to visit. We do have instances where visitors come along with tour guides, and we would hope that the tour guides are assisting us in deterring these types of activities,” she said.

She added that responsibility for protecting archeological sites extends to everyone. “We’ve had incidents also where, you know it’s our own Belizeans who do these things. It may be in other instances, not Belizean, who are doing these. And we just wanted to remind everyone that this kind of activity is not encouraged. We don’t want it happening. And to make sure that everybody takes a responsibility when they visit our site,” Dr. Badillo said.

The Institute of Archeology is urging visitors to respect site rules, follow the guidance of rangers and tour guides, and report any suspicious activity to help ensure Belize’s archeological treasures are preserved for future generations.