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MARIMBA FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL OF BELIZE
| Giselle de la Fuente of Caye Caulker, age 14 yrs. |
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| Giselle showing her skills on the Marimba |
Welcome to our web site!
This is the archive record of our SECOND Annual Mayan Folk Music Festival held on Dec. 23 rd., 2005. This was a children's
festival. We ended up with five participants, their parents, friends, families and neighborhood visitors watching. It was
very much a family affair and learning experience for the children.
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We had five children students and all received a CASH AWARD for their performances. Certificates were awarded to each student
and Felipe Morales, age 92 years of Benque Viejo town on the Western border received a Certificate recognizing his 78 years
of contributions to Belize folk music as a performer. He was also recognized as a legendary unique National Treasure of our
country.
| Jerry Lin, age 14 years is an excellent student. |
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| Jerry received a scholarship to learn the marimba. |
The bald headed guy is GUSTAVO PINZON, brother of my wife Silvia Pinzon Auxillou. He sponsored the Festival this year!
Last year my wife sponsored the Festival. Festivals cost money even when they are small.
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| Cindy Lin, 9 years old of San Ignacio town. |
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| Cindy plays a good RECORDER and is learning the marimba on a scholarship. |
The MARIMBA and the RECORDER were the main instruments of this year's CHILDREN'S ANNUAL MAYA FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL. It is hoped
for a revival in a new generation of Marimba players in Belize, as all the old players are not being replaced. The RECORDER
is intended as a prelude to playing a genuine ancient MAYAN FLUTE, made out of clay in the old style and usually in the shape
of an animal.
| Zoe de la Fuente playing her recorder |
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| Zoe is 13 years old and also plays the drums. |
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The ANNUAL MAYAN FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL is held each year in the December holidays, in Hillview, Cayo District, Belize. The
site is FALCONVIEW BACK PACK ADVENTURE HOSTEL, in a special Festival tent in the back yard. The hostel provides dormitory
accomodation for adventure explorers, with FREE communal kitchen, big unisex bathroom, FREE coffee, FREE TV, FREE weight excercise
bench and a FREE HAMMOCK verandah. You buy your own groceries and can live quite cheaply at $7 usa per night, plus tax, in
a connivial atmosphere of other travelers, swapping tall tales and yarns of the GRINGO TRAIL experiences and adventures.
| The Alma Belicena Marimba Orchestra |
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| The main attraction was the marimba orchestra. They taught the children, rolls and trills! |
Festival e-mail contact HERE!
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The Belizeaan Folk Music Festival in the foothills of the Belize Alps is held in Hillview, a suburb of Santa Elena in Western
Cayo District of Belize, Central America at the FALCONVIEW BACK PACK ADVENTURE HOSTEL. ( Your home away from home! ) We
do organic gardening, urban hydroponics, solar oven fabrication, Mayan clay pottery masks and flutes, experimental tourist
artwork, oil painting, music lessons, conversational English classes for Spanish and Mandarin speakers, mountain bike tours
and race in the Belize Alps. Anything to improve life for the people in our area and community.
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| The youngest and oldest professional musicians. |
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| Ramiro Mai age 12 and Felipe Morales age 92, play with the four person Marimba orchestra. |
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11,000 years of making Mayan pottery in Belize! The goal is to have an ancient Mayan flute replica, that can actually play
modern musical scales. The difficulty is in making the holes in soft clay, which shrinks 34% when drying over a low temperature
slow pine splint fire. Hopefully by next FESTIVAL, December 2006.
| Magana pottery works by the Xunantunich pyramid. |
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| Magana said he would make us an ancient clay ceramic Mayan flute to take the recorder place. |
All cash prizes for children are held in escrow in Atlantic Bank, in San Ignacio, Belize. Account number: 210 714 814. You
can help revive the Marimba, the Mayan Clay flute and a couple of other folk music instruments in Western Belize by making
a donation. Send to: Ray Auxillou, 2471 NW 152 Terr., Miami Gardens, Florida, 33054, or if in Belize, deposit directly to
our Escrow prize fund Festival Atlantic Bank account. The FESTIVAL is FREE! We operate on donations!
This was the second Annual Maya Mountains Folk Music Festival held in Hillview, Western Belize on Dec. 23rd, 2005.
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