4 Best Places to Shop in The Deep South, Belize

Some 100 Maya women from eight local villages sew handbags, purses, fitness bags, travel bags, and other items, which are sold in a fair-trade shop in Punta Gorda near the airstrip and, on a larger scale, to stores in the United States and via mail order elsewhere.

Fresh fruits and vegetables, local coffee and cacao beans, and some craft items are sold at indoor and outdoor stalls at the central plaza near the clock tower. The busiest market days usually are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, but this is a quieter affair with not as much activity as the market on Front Street.

Wednesday and Saturday are the big market days in the area along Front Street near the Civic Center, with Monday and Friday seeing a bit less activity. You'll find food stalls, and vendors selling fruit and vegetables, chocolate, and copal incense, reputed to be useful for energy cleansing. Some crafts and miscellaneous household items are for sale here. (Look carefully: Many of the crafts here come from neighboring Guatemala.) This is an earthier market than the goings-on at the Central Plaza.

Small and a bit cluttered, this gallery is the project of a local artist-slash-veterinarian who showcases the works of Toledo artists and artisans.