| Official Name: | Bullet Tree Falls |
| Pushpin Map: | Belize |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | District |
| Subdivision Name1: | Cayo District |
| Subdivision Type2: | Constituency |
| Subdivision Name2: | Cayo North |
| Population As Of: | 2010 |
| Population Total: | 2,124[1] |
| Timezone: | Central |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Coordinates: | 17.168°N -89.111°W |
| Elevation M: | 69 |
| Blank Name: | Climate |
| Blank Info: | Am |
Bullet Tree Falls is a village located along the Mopan River in Cayo District, Belize. It lies approximately five kilometers (three miles) northwest of San Ignacio.[2] [3] According to the 2010 census, Bullet Tree Falls has a population of 2,124 people in 426 households.[1] The population consists mainly of Spanish-speaking mestizos, along with a smaller number of Maya and Creoles.[2] [3] [4]
At the time of the 2010 census, Bullet Tree Falls had a population of 2,124. Of these, 91.0% were Mestizo, 3.4% Mixed, 1.1% Creole, 1.0% Yucatec Maya, 0.9% Caucasian, 0.8% Mopan Maya, 0.7% Ketchi Maya, 0.3% East Indian and 0.1% Mennonite.[5]
Bullet Tree Falls is governed by a seven-person village council. As of 2019, the chairperson of the council is Thai Wu.[6]
Bullet Tree Falls was first established as a small logging camp in the 1800s.[7] During the Caste War of Yucatán, many Maya families migrated to Bullet Tree Falls from villages further north such as El Chorro and Yaloch.[2] [7] By 1917, there were approximately one hundred and forty people living in the village in twenty-three households.[7] During the early and mid 20th century, an influx of mestizos migrated to the village from Guatemala and Mexico, many of them working as chicleros.[4] [7] During the early days of the chicle and timber industries in Belize, the village was an important trading post.[8]
The first Creoles settled in Bullet Tree Falls in the 1950s, arriving from San Ignacio.[9] In 1961, Hurricane Hattie caused significant damage to the village, destroying a school building and church.[7] [10] During the 1960s and 1970s, several Mopan Maya families moved to Bullet Tree Falls from the Toledo District.[7] By 1970, the population of the village had grown to approximately 700.[7] In 1988, the Salvador Fernandez Bridge was completed, replacing an older wooden bridge.[10]
Bullet Tree Falls has developed a small tourist economy facilitated by its location between San Ignacio and the El Pilar Maya archeological site.[2] The village hosts several lodges and a small botanical garden.[11] Buses between Bullet Tree Falls and San Ignacio run several times a day and taxi service is available to San Ignacio and El Pilar.[11]