Museum of Belize

The Museum of Belize at 5 Eve Street was formerly Her Majesty’s Prison, built between 1854 and 1857, at a time when the country was still a British colony.  It still has the iron gates at the front.  This building replaced a wooden prison nearby and served as a prison until 1993 (when the inmates were transferred to the Hattieville Prison).  In 2002 it was restored and converted into the National Institute of Culture.  It features exhibits of Maya artefacts and explores some 3,000 years of Maya history, the prison’s history, colonial life, and cultural exhibits of the many ethnic groups of the nation.