Landmark· Mamitupu· Other Caribbean

Ustupu Village, Museum & Congress House

9° 7.8′ N · 77° 55.6′ W

Ustupu (Usdub, 'rabbit island') is the largest Guna town, several bridge-linked islands of tightly packed thatched houses, and the home community of Nele Kantule, one of the leaders of the 1925 Guna revolution.

Belize Barrier Reef

Practical

Coordinate: the village point in OpenStreetMap (node 5838420643; Wikipedia gives 9.13, -77.93). Anchor as described in the Ustupu Anchorage entry ($15 fee, 2018). SY Vindomar (2008) were met by a village guide and a chief's secretary who collected an $8 anchoring fee with an official receipt; the guide showed them an artist's studio and a small museum of artefacts and photographs, and they ate a set meal (chicken, rice, plantains) for $7 for two. Kuna bread sold in long thin rolls at 10 cents each (2008). Balvenie (2012) found more than two thousand people, waterways and outhouses through the town, small stores and a bar without beer, and were asked not to photograph people. Spanish Wikipedia describes the island's two communities, Ustupu and Ogobsucun, and the history of the move to the island in 1903. Visit the congress house only with a guide and the sahila's permission; follow photo rules strictly. The airstrip runway bridges two of the islands (Wikipedia).

Best for

Seeing the comarca's largest traditional town and its revolutionary history

Nearby