Caye Caulker (Spanish: Cayo Caulker) is a small limestone coral island off the coast of Belize in the Caribbean Sea measuring about (north to south) by less than (east to west). The town on the island is known by the name Caye Caulker Village. The population of Caye Caulker is approximately 4,000 people.
Caye Caulker is located approximately north-northeast of Belize City, and is accessible by high-speed water taxi or small plane via Caye Caulker Airport. In recent years, the island has become a popular destination for backpackers and other tourists. There are over 50 hotels and a number of restaurants and shops.
Geography
The island is made up of a sand bar over a limestone shelf. An underwater cave named Giant Cave is found below the Caye in the limestone. In front of the village, a shallow lagoon, between and deep, meets the Belize Barrier Reef to the east. This reef is known as a dry reef with the reef exposed at the surface, while further north the reef is a deep reef and lies under of water. The area is popular with windsurfers.
A narrow waterway known as the Split divides the island in two. Some people state that the Split was created by Hurricane Hattie in 1961 which devastated Belize City; however, this is largely untrue. Villagers who actually hand dredged it maintain that it is largely a man-made feature. The Village Council Chairman at the time, Ramon Reyes, recounts that he and others dredged the waterway by hand after Hurricane Hattie opened a passage a few inches deep. This made a practical water way between the west and east sides of the island, intended at first for dugout canoes. The increased flow of tidal water has dredged the opening to deep, fortuitously now allowing passage for larger boats. The natural erosion of the soft sand banks of the waterway continues to this day and threatens to further widen the passage.
Demographics
At the time of the 2010 census, Caye Caulker had a population of 1,763. Of these, 65.6% were Mestizo, 15.3% Creole, 4.3% Caucasian, 3.6% Ketchi Maya, 2.9% Garifuna, 2.4% Mopan Maya, 2.3% Mixed, 1.4% Asian, 0.7% East Indian, 0.6% African, 0.3% Mennonite, 0.1% Yucatec Maya and 0.3% others.
History
Settlement
Caye Caulker is thought to have been inhabited for hundreds of years; however, the recent population levels did not start until the Caste War of Yucatan in 1847, when many mestizos of mixed Maya and Spanish descent fled the massacres taking place across the Yucatán.
The area of the village was granted to Luciano Reyes by Queen Victoria around 1870. Lots were sold to six or seven families, most of which still have descendants on the island today. The influence of these families is still very apparent.