History
In the mid-19th century, several Masewal (Maya) families left their homes in Yucatan to escape the War of
Races (Caste War) that had raged for years and caused thousands of deaths. Only seven people survived the long
trek, during which hundreds died from starvation or illness. The initial seven were later joined by another
group that arrived via a longer route. They reached Barton Creek, which they were forced to abandon after
several years due to an epidemic. They moved to what is present-day San Antonio in 1876. Up to 1927 they
struggled to build a village and raise their children under severe limitations. Only a trail connected them to
the major trading points of San Ignacio and Benque Viejo. They had no beasts of burden. All were illiterate.
The dominant family names still reflect the groups who originally settled San Antonio, namely, the Tzib, Mai,
Canto and Mesh families.
In 1928, with the aid of the British Government and the Catholic Church, the Masewal established a school in
San Antonio. The school changed the local world and the young people became educated, some reaching university
level and now holding responsible positions in government and industry.
San Antonio was named after St. Anthony of Padua when a spanish priest who visited regularly from the town of
Benque Viejo del Carmen brought a statue of St. Anthony to the village. The statue can be seen in the Catholic
Church near the village square. Prior to the name change, San Antonio was known in the local Yucatec Maya
dialect as “Osh Multun Kakab” which translates to Three Mound Virgin Forest. Today, villagers casually refer
to their village as “Tanah,” which is the Maya term for “our home.”
In 1961, Roman Catholicism was the only religion in the village, but the majority of the population has now
converted to Pentecostal Christianity and seven different churches have been organized. Additionally, a few
years ago the Jehovah Witnesses marked their presence in the village by building a Kingdom Hall and a few
families attend their meetings. Seven of these institutions offer their facilities as hurricane shelters.
Don Elijio Panti
Don Elijio Panti was a well-known shaman guide and herbal healer who resided in San
Antonio.
He was brought to Belize from Guatemala as an infant. Although he couldn't read nor write
he studied Maya medicine and started healing people in 1931. In the mid 1980s, he bagan participation in a
collaborative project of the Ix Chel Tropical Research Foundation and The New York Botanical
Garden. This project was an effort to survey the forests of Belize for the collection of
medicinal plants for screening against AIDS and cancer in association with the U.S. National Cancer Institute
(NCI).
In recognition of his many international contributions, he was awarded multiple awards
including the "Member of the Order of the British Empire" during the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,
Queen of Belize.
Elijio Panti died in San Ignacio on February 4, 1996 at the age of 103. Elijio
Panti National Park, which was officially created in 2001, is named after him.