You can tell a lot about a place by its shopping. And who doesn't love to shop? It's consistently at the top of the list of things to do. Belize has a lot of small shops where you can purchase handicrafts like cloth, jewelry and Mayan slate art. Some of the best Belize shopping is found on Ambergris Caye.
I agree, a trip to Belize wouldn't be complete without shopping for rum, plantain chips, black slate and wood carving works. One of the best places in Belize to do shopping is a gift shop called the Orange Gallery, located in Caesar's (east of San Ignacio). This place is huge and has lots of great gifts and artworks on sale.
buy from Belizean outlets one thing I would say when shopping in Belize and similar places is to buy local. If you really want to help the people there, the worse thing you can do is buy souvenirs from outlets that aren't owned by the locals. For instance, in Belize there are many gem stone outlets in the port are but they are all owned by the cruise ship companies, which is why they want you to buy there. Instead, try to buy from Belizean outlets away from the port in places like Hattieville prison or Mikado's Textile Palace in Regent St.
best shopping places in Belize a couple good places to buy carved wood items is in the village of Bomba and in San Pedro, which has lots of local crafts shops. Alternatively, you can always head to Caye Caulker for more shopping. Don't be decived by its size...Caye Caulker has number of small gift shops and makeshift souvenir stands lining the few streets there.