San Ignacio

Belize
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/place/San-Ignacio
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Also known as: Cayo, El Cayo
Formerly:
El Cayo, or Cayo

San Ignacio, town, west-central Belize. It lies along the Belize River near the Guatemalan border. San Ignacio and its sister town Santa Elena make up Belize’s second largest urban area. The two towns are separated by the Macal River and Belize’s only suspension bridge. With Benque Viejo del Carmen, which is about 8 miles (13 km) southwest, San Ignacio traditionally dealt in chicle and lumber, but these products have now largely been replaced by cattle and corn (maize), beans, and rice. Some trade is carried on with Guatemala. This ethnically diverse town consists of Creoles, Maya Indians, mestizos, a substantial number of Mennonites (whose first settlement near San Ignacio dates from 1958), and other small immigrant groups. Pop. (2005 est.) urban agglom.,16,800.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Maren Goldberg.