But as we've shown you, hundreds of Guatemalan schoolchildren freely cross that same border daily to attend primary and high school in Belize. But, it doesn't only happen in the west, it also happens in the south at the unregulated Jalacte border crossing. Except, down there, we can't say how many cross because their is no checkpoint - Guatemalans and Belizeans just crisscross the border freely. We found that out in 2008 when we went down there to investigate a dispute about a Guatemalan warehouse structure which had been placed on Belizean territory. And the dynamic we found down there is the same on driving the encroachments in the Chiquibul, and causing the Guatemalan schoolchildren to go to schools in western and southern Belize. Here's how Guatemalan Edgar Savedra put it:...
Edgar Savedra, Jalacte Resident
"I was born in Guatemala but I have to live in Belize because I need 
somewhere to work. In Guatemala there are only pasturelands and poor people
like myself have nowhere to love.
I have more opportunities here in Belize because I like to make milpas.
I can plant beans and rice and I need to work. In my country I don't have
an opportunity to work because I don't have any land."
And that brings into sharp focus the central issue between these neighboring
countries; Belize has an abundance of land and opportunity; Guatemala has an 
abundance of people who need both and can't find it in their own country.
Which brings us back to corn – the currency that maintains the relationship
between these border villages. The corn grown upon Belize's abundant lands
comes here to this bodega as they call it. And guess who owns the bodega? Leonel
Arellanos, the same man who's built the offending structure within Belizean
territory.
His son Ferdie who spends his weekends helping out at the corn shed goes to
school in Punta Gorda:
Jules Vasquez,
So you go to school in PG?
Ferdie Arellanos TCC student
"Yes sir."
Jules Vasquez,
Which school?
Ferdie Arellanos,
"TCC."
Jules Vasquez,
Why?
Ferdie Arellanos,
"Because I want to learn 
English."
Jules Vasquez,
But you live here in Guatemala?
Ferdie Arellanos,
"Yes sir."
Jules Vasquez,
But where do you see your future?
Ferdie Arellanos,
"Belize. I see the future there."
His little brother goes to school in Jalacte
Jules Vasquez,
Do they have school here in Santa Cruz?
Ferdie's Brother,
"Yes they have."
Jules Vasquez,
Why do you then go to school in Jalacte?
Ferdie's Brother,
"Because I want to learn English."
Jules Vasquez,
What's the advantage in knowing English?
Ferdie's Brother,
"The advantage in learning English is that most Belizean come to Guatemala
and if we don't learn English, how will we understand ourselves."
And apparently, they understand fine right now, because Belize's Mayan
farmers are paid in quetzals –most of which is spent right here on the
village on cheap groceries like these that we saw Dionicio Choc taking back 
into Jaclacte. Santa Cruz Guatemala is a quite a bustling center of commerce
– and one of the only places in the world where they prefer Belize dollars
over US dollars.
[Shopkeeper indicating preference for Belize $2 note over US$1 bill.]
Unlike Jalacte, it has electricity and Belizean shoppers come here for Gallo
beers, and cheap products. The village – or most of it – is in Guatemalan
territory – the cemetery for example is believed to be inside Belizean
territory. But it's a fine, widely unknown line, and the entire village
exists under the eye of the BDF treetops observation post – the sole indicator
of Belize's domain in the area.
It is ground they are holding in hostile territory, the Guatemalans resent
the military's presence, and after taping for few minutes it was made
clear to us by a group of village leaders that our presence was also not welcome.
Back in Jalacte and after recovering from the grueling trek back under the
midday sun, I considered this village, a small trading outpost, its jarring
juxtapositions between of Guatemalan and Belizean branding, the commanding Guatemalan
phone tower on the borderline, the fact that my phone had switched over from
Telemedia to service from the Guatemalan phone company TIGO, which is the only
phone service this and surrounding villages get – where by the way, they
offer triple-up, not double up as we found out when this young Jalacte woman
was putting in credits for her Guatemalan phone.
And moving as freely as phone signals, everyday the BDF looks on as scores
of Belizeans and Guatemalans go back and forth between Jalacte and Santa Cruz.
Their job is to hold the line – a line not marked in any way, a line whose
true location is known only to technicians who use GPS devices, a line that
is a good few hundred feet west of, behind this structure. It is either a matter
for grave concern, or earnest hope.
Edgar Savedra,
"We live as a community in friendship. That is why we don't have
any problems, we live in peace."
Wil Maheia,
"Every year Belize gets smaller and smaller because the road that
we just came on, that is clearly inside Belizean territory and the people living
there are Guatemalans. They think they are living inside of Guatemala, yet they
are living on Belizean territory."
Ferdie's Brother,
"Belizeans with Guatemala, we are friendship. We and Belize, we are
friends but I don't know what the people think and someday we argue with
Belize but I don't know why. I just only want to ask that question, I
want to ask somebody: why they noh come friends."
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