Kneading Chicle gum into blocks, around 1936, and a bit on the history of the chicle industry in Belize
Chicle is made from the Sapodilla or Chicle tree (Manilkara chicle).
Sapodilla belongs to the family Sapotaceae. Besides M. chicle, two other Manilkara species are found in Belize. All have edible fruits (sapodilla), produce a lot of sap, and are otherwise very similar to each other with minor differences in the flower shapes. All three are referred to as chicle and/or sapodilla. Mature trees can be recognized by tall, straight trunks and machete scars.
The ancient Maya are believed to have chewed the latex from the chicle tree. It wasn’t until the 1880s, when Americans began investigating chicle as a cheap alternative to rubber, that they realized it was a good base for chewing gum. Several companies, including Wrigleys, began using it in their recipes.
In the next 50 years, the industry grew and chicle tappers (chicleros) covered Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala in search of “white gold”. Eventually, declining yields and increasing demand led the industry to replace chicle with a synthetic, petroleum-based substitute. The industry was gone from Belize by 1980.
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