Standard 4 students had a wonderful time visiting the mainland to see Cahal Pech and a rice factory.
Students first visited a rice processing factory run by the Mennonites. Farmers grow and harvest their own rice, then take it to the factory for processing. Rice has a hard husk, which the machines at the factory remove and grind into a coarse flour and used as pig food. Next, workers sort the rice into different grades – the more broken the rice the lower it’s grade. Then workers package the rice in a variety of sizes ranging from 1lb bags to huge sacks. Finally the rice is stored, ready to be shipped all over Belize.
Cahal Pech – A grand Mayan Estate
Next, students visited the Mayan Ruin of Cahal Pech, near the town of San Ignatio. Cahal Pech was a huge hilltop home for a prestigious Maya family. The site has a total of 34 structures. It is an impressive reminder of the skills and abilities of the Maya civilization that occupied this area for thousands of years.
Both field trips were part of the social studies curriculum, where students studied industries in Belize and historical buildings and sites.