Springfield Belize: A Tropical Paradise Found

Springfield, Belize is a Mennonite village in the Cayo District, located around 15km south of the capital, Belmopan. Founded in 1996 as a daughter colony of the Upper Barton Creek settlement, Springfield is home to a community of very conservative Mennonites, who are similar in many ways to the Old Order Amish. The village has a population of 270 residents, comprising 40 families who speak Plautdietsch and Pennsylvania German. They have large families, with an average of 6.8 people per household.

Mennonite village in Cayo District

Springfield is a Mennonite village in the Cayo District of Belize, located about 15 km south of the country's capital, Belmopan. It was established around 1996 as a daughter colony of the Upper Barton Creek settlement of conservative Mennonites, who are predominantly based in the United States. The Mennonites of Springfield are part of the Noah Hoover branch of Old Order Mennonites, sharing many similarities with the Old Order Amish, although the two groups are distinct.

The village is home to a population of 270 residents, consisting of 40 families of Plautdietsch and Pennsylvania German-speaking Mennonites. These families are quite large, with an average of 6.8 persons per household. The community is known for its fruit tree nursery and horse-powered sawmill.

The Cayo District, where Springfield is located, is the largest district in Belize, spanning over 2,000 square miles of pastureland, pristine rivers, verdant hills, and tropical forests. It is a culturally diverse region, home to a variety of ethnic groups, including Creole, Maya, Mestizos, Chinese, German-speaking Mennonites, East Indian immigrants, and North American expatriates. The district's largest town, San Ignacio, is a vibrant mix of these diverse cultures and is known for its colourful market and eco-tourism activities.

The Mennonite community in Cayo, including Springfield, plays a significant role in the district's agricultural sector. Mennonite farmers in tightly-knit communities like Spanish Lookout supply poultry, peanuts, and other homegrown products to local farmers' markets and shops. They contribute to Cayo's reputation as the agricultural heartland of Belize, where crops such as bananas, mangos, oranges, vegetables, and corn are grown.

15km south of Belmopan

Springfield, Belize is a Mennonite village in the Cayo District, situated 15km south of the capital, Belmopan. The village was founded around 1996 as a daughter colony of the Upper Barton Creek settlement of very conservative Mennonites, who mainly live in the United States. These Mennonites are members of the Noah Hoover branch of Old Order Mennonites and are similar in many outward aspects to the Old Order Amish, but are distinct from them.

The Mennonites of Belize are descendants of a group that left South Russia in 1873 and settled in Manitoba, Canada. From there, they migrated to Mexico and then to British Honduras (Belize) in 1958. There are now 10 colonies in Belize, with a population of 12,000 people. The Mennonites of Springfield speak Plautdietsch (Low German) and Pennsylvania German in their daily lives. The women wear bonnets and long dresses, while the men wear denim overalls and hats. They use horse and buggy for transportation.

Springfield has a population of 270 residents, composed of 40 families with large families, averaging 6.8 persons per household. The village has a fruit tree nursery and a horse-powered sawmill.

Population of 270 residents

Springfield, Belize is a Mennonite village in the Cayo District, located around 15km south of the country's capital, Belmopan. It was founded in 1996 as a daughter colony of the Upper Barton Creek settlement of very conservative Mennonites, who settled in Mexico, the US and Canada before arriving in Belize.

The village has a population of 270 residents, comprising around 40 families of Plautdietsch and Pennsylvania German-speaking Mennonites. They have large families, with an average of 6.8 people per household.

The Mennonites of Springfield are members of an Anabaptist Christian Church. Their ancestors left South Russia in 1873, settling in Manitoba, Canada, before migrating to Mexico and then Belize in 1958. There are now 10 Mennonite colonies in Belize, with a total population of 12,000 people.

The Springfield Mennonites belong to the Noah Hoover branch of Old Order Mennonites and are similar in many outward aspects to the Old Order Amish, although they are distinct from them. They do not use modern equipment, electricity, or drive cars due to their religious beliefs. They are known for their fruit tree nurseries and horse-powered sawmills, with Springfield's fruit trees considered the best in the country.

Founded in 1996

Springfield, Belize was founded in 1996 as a daughter colony of the Upper Barton Creek settlement of very conservative Mennonites. These Mennonites, belonging to the Noah Hoover branch of Old Order Mennonites, mainly lived in the United States, but also settled in Mexico and Canada before moving to Belize. They are similar in many outward aspects to the Old Order Amish, but are clearly distinct. Norris Hall, a photojournalist who made a documentary about the people of Springfield in 2011, erroneously referred to them as "Amish".

The village is located in the Cayo District, around 15km south of the capital city of Belmopan. It is home to about 40 families, or 270 residents, of Plautdietsch and Pennsylvania German-speaking Mennonites. They have large families, with an average of 6.8 people per household. The community produces vegetables, eggs, fresh milk, cheese, jellies, and local and exotic fruits. There is a fruit tree nursery and a horse-powered sawmill in the village.

Springfield is a quiet and secluded community, where residents can appreciate nature, wildlife, and peaceful days. It is located about 3.5 miles off the Hummingbird Highway and is a 2-hour drive from the beach at Placencia. There are also nearby tourist attractions such as the St. Herman's Cave and the famous inland blue hole, a great spot for swimming and cooling off.

Plautdietsch and Pennsylvania German are spoken

The Plautdietsch language, also known as Mennonite Low German, is a Low Prussian dialect of East Low German with Dutch influence. It evolved in the 16th and 17th centuries in the Vistula delta area of Royal Prussia and is spoken by around 400,000 Russian Mennonites across the world, including in Latin America, the United States, and Canada.

Pennsylvania German, also known as Pennsylvania Dutch, is a variation of Palatine German and is spoken by the Pennsylvania Dutch, including the Amish, Mennonites, Fancy Dutch, and other related groups in the United States and Canada. There are approximately 300,000 native speakers.

Plautdietsch

Plautdietsch is primarily a spoken language and does not have an official orthography. It has two major dialects, the Old Colony dialect (or Chortitza) and the New Colony dialect (or Molotschna), which trace their division to what is now Ukraine. The language has a rich inflectional system and is moderately inflectional, with two numbers, three genders, two cases, two tenses, three persons, two moods, two voices, and two degrees of comparison.

Pennsylvania German

Pennsylvania German is also primarily a spoken language and has a rich literary history. It is mainly derived from Palatine German and is both commonly and scholarly referred to as "Pennsylvania Dutch." It is classified as a variety of Rhine Franconian and is closely related to Palatine German dialects.

Comparison

Both languages have complex histories and have been influenced by a variety of other languages, including High German, Dutch, and various German dialects. They are spoken by religious groups, including the Amish and Mennonites, and have unique grammatical structures and vocabularies.

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