Featured in the Belize Pavilion at the 2016 Jazz Fest. Elmer Panti is an artist from San Jose Succotz Village, located near the Guatemalan border in the Cayo District of Belize, and best known as the gateway to the pre-Columbian Maya site of Xunantunich. Introduced to the craft by his father Juan Panti at the age of twelve, Elmer began selling works near the ruins of Xunantunich on the bank of the Mopan River. He carves classic pre-Columbian Maya motifs onto slate, an abundant local resource which the ancient Maya civilization used for artifacts and architectural capstones. Elmer has carved monumental pieces up to nine feet high for hotels and resorts in Belize, depicting subject matter such as Maya stelae, Maya Calendars and animals of Belize. He plans to open a gallery in his village of San Jose Succotz to display his works and to teach slate carving to young people.
