Mennonites & Mestizos

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  This article refers to the Plautdietsch Mennonites of Blue Creek, Spanish Lookout, Shipyard and Little Belize
  We hear and read of how the Mennonites have built strong businesses, have prospered, have strengthened the economy, etc. But what we don't read or hear is the fact that for the last 3 decades or so, Mestizos (aka "spanish people") have gained strength in the labor force of the modern communities of Spanish Lookout and Blue Creek, especially Spanish Lookout. Western Dairies, Quality Poultry Products, Farmer's Trading Center and other well-known businesses are made up of an estimated 80% Mestizo employees. And not just common jobs; many have ascended the ladder to distinguished positions. The famous prefab "Mennonite" houses built by Linda Vista and Plett's Home Builder are built by Mestizos from surrounding villages. The trees are being cut down by non-Mennonites, a mixture of Mestizos, Creoles and Maya. The men tramping in the mud and manure loading the white broilers unto the truck are Mestizos. The ones sorting eggs and mending fences are Mestizos. In the last few years job opportunities for Mestizo females have risen sharply.


I will not discuss wages or labor issues in this article, perhaps later; I simply want to raise awareness that if it wasn't for the local Mestizos being employed, things would be much different for Spanish Lookout. Slowly over the years other cultures and ethnicities have been accepted into the work force, such as Creoles, Mayas, and East Indians. Other areas in which Mestizos have integrated with the Plautdietsch Mennonites are church and marriage. Those who have left the traditional Kleine Gemeinde allow mixed marriages and mixed membership in the church.




  Now let's take a look at the Old Colony Mennonites of Shipyard and Little Belize. While they have depended on the non-Mennonite Belizeans for business and trading, the labor force is still largely Mennonite. Here and there will be found Mestizos mending fences or doing carpentry, but for the most part these traditional Mennonites stick to the principle of literally earning their bread with the sweat of their brow using a mixture of 21st century technology and early 20th century machines.
 Note: Old Colony Mennonites also make up a certain percentage of the work force in Blue Creek and Spanish Lookout.
  Comparing negative and positive sides of the Mestizo-Mennonites integration would make an interesting future article, wouldn't it? A friend of mine in Spanish Lookout said, "The Mennonites are managing the show but the Mestizos are the ones running the business". I don't agree completely with that but it is close. Personally I am glad to see both Mennonites and non-Mennonites working together and contributing to the economy.

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