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Jules Vasquez, Reporting
Fireworks lit up the evening sky over the Punta Gorda to start off the 2010 Cacao Festival at the UB Complex where organizers hosted the Wine and Chocolate Evening. An exotic array of chocolates products were being offered as local chocolatiers, Goss, Kakaw and Cotton Tree gave free samples.

Lisel Alamilla, Organizer, Yax'che Conservation Trust
"It's an organic product, it's a fair trade product and we are very proud that Toledo is the major producer of Cacoa in Belize"

The next day was the Taste of Toledo Fair seaside at the Petillo Park. It featured every novel product Toledo has to offer, and included an indoor display.

But the real pull was the band, the New Rebels with some special guest singers. And from Garifuna drumming to the gentle strains of the marimba and the celebrated Mayan traditional dance The Monkey Dance - a tradition infused with myth and made rich by tradition which was played out at Lubantuun:

Dr. Jaime Awe, Archaeologist
"Lubantuun is also one of the largest sites in Toledo. It was occupied for a very short period of time. But in spite of that some of the architecture here is certainly among the finest examples of pre-historic Maya architecture that you will find not just in Belize but anywhere in the Maya world. For that we are very proud of and feel very fortunate to have this site here in our small country."

Archaeologist Dr. Jaime Awe told the history of the monkey dance, dating back to its first documentation in 1926 by archeologist Thomas Gann.

Dr. Jaime Awe
"Thomas Gann says that while in San Pedro Colombia, he was shown some mask by this very old gentleman. He said they consisted of 13 small black and red wooden masks of monkey faces, with one a good deal larger and that larger had a beard and three horns to represent the devil. He also says that it had been many years since the monkey dance had been performed in San Pedro because the Catholic priests thought that it was idolatrous. That it had to do with devil worship. It would seem that this was the belief by the priest that the monkeys and their father the devil had at one a lot of influence in the affairs of men. He also says that villagers believe that the monkeys in the forest had a an ability to influence the growing of corn and coming of the rains. And it is for this reason that they would celebrate the monkey dance just before the planting of the milpas. The wooden frame is erected on either side and it represents the forests in which the monkeys lived and each dancer will be doing their dance around some of the posts."

And while the monkey dance was the featured attraction, there was royalty in attendance, the three kings, Florencio Mes, Wilfred Peters and Paul Nabor whose performances provided the culmination for the three day event. And while the crowds did not befit kings or even princes - the setting was regal

(footage of Nabor, Mes, Peters performing) Again that footage was provided by NICH.