Explore the Mopan Maya village of Santa Cruz. A population of about 500 people. Before the village was established people used to live independently in the forests far from each other. In 1950, a group of families came together to build a community at a site with fertile soils. Since most people were associated with the Catholic religion, they named their village Santa Cruz which means ‘Holy Cross’.

The thatch roof houses in the village are spread out along the roadside. Livestock is plentiful – horses keep the surrounding vegetation low and chickens and pigs roam the village. A central water system was built on the outskirts of Santa Cruz. The village has a community phone and contains a large football field, a school, a church, a community center, and a store.