Life in a bygone era... today
Belize / Mexico
There is no music, radio or cars in the life of Old Colony Mennonites in Belize and Mexico. The only motorized vehicles are those used
for farming, and then, these wheels must be made from steel – pneumatic tyres are forbidden. This means that alcohol and cigarettes
remain far away. All of this has the intention of preserving the community and to continue living separately, according to the tenets of the
bible.
These Mennonites live in small, close-knit communities where farming is the source of sustenance – with the main crops being beans,
corn and soya. There are a few shops selling food, clothes and tools. And there are churches.
School closes for six months of the year, so that the children can help with the harvest. They must recite the 70 pages of the Mennonite
Catechism – ‘the short and simple version of the holy scriptures’ – every day.
The first sentence of this little black book reads: “Come children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord” (Psalm 34,12). The
meaning of these texts is not explained to the children until just before their baptism, marking the end of their schooling.
Many families have more than 15 children, all of whom begin working at a very young age – either in the home or in the fields. The Bible
tells them: ”Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest.”
In the evening, families often sit together and chat by candle or torchlight. They speak a German dialect known as Low German. On
Sundays, after the morning sermon in the church, youth over 16 can be together on the street. This allows them to meet other girls and
boys, shaping their own future and families.
I was first drawn to the Mennonites whilst working on a project in Belize. I saw a young man at a bus stop – he was so plainly dressed
and he was just waiting there. I wanted to know more about this traditional and simple life.
A Mennonite bedroom is very minimally furnished. Its purpose is resting. Life is lived outside or in shared spaces with family or the community.A horse and carriage is the main form of transportation. They are, however more quiet than you would expect because their axles are from old
Mexican Volkswagens.Register of the „Ältesten“ (oldest), teachers and deacons of the Old Order Mennonites in Belize, Mexico, Bolivia and Argentina.Abram (Junior) & Aaron Schmidt.Abram Schmidt at breakfast on Sunday before going to church.The Mennonites make their own clothes but the choice of fabric is limited and the pattern or even the pleat width of the skirts is precisely prescribed.Agata Schmitt is a midwife, working in the community‘s small maternity room. She delivers the babies except when a caesarean section is needed.Children attend daily prayer before and after school.A Mennonite children‘s story.Boys after work in the bean field.A new tractor will have its wheels removed and replaced by steel wheels which the Mennonites make themselves.A girl harvesting beans in the field. Children work together for other families or landowners and normally get paid on a piecework basis.Abram in his room, next to that of his brother.Men in a hardware store.Mennonites help each other. Sometimes bringing money to relatives in need.Girls and boys socialising.Susanne Schmidt – like most Mennonite women – uses gas or a wood fire for cooking.A shop by night.Mennonites build their houses with simple walls of tin or wood.Every Saturday afternoon a Mennonite woman‘s hair is freshly combed and styled.Some of the bean harvest is sold in Belize but a large part is exported to America or Jamaica.Indian Creek, BelizeAgatha with her cousin.Apart from the Bible, the other important book is the songbook „Morgenlieder“ – also in Low German.