Mask Man in his shop in Belize City, 1960's
His name was George, his shop, a little convenience shack, was by Turnell's on Cemetery Road, later at the foot of the Pound Yard Bridge, Pound Yard Bridge Gas Station. He rented his shop from the Lovells. A few people said he took off the mask a few times and there was nothing major wrong with his face, it had blemishes on it, looked like burn scars. He took it of for a while when he became part of an evangelical church. It was said his skin was sensitive to the sun. He would ride around town on his three wheeled bicycle cart with the the big open box on the front. The common story includes obeah, either because he didn't marry someone's daughter he impregnated or because the lady was straight up crazy made him ugly and he had to cover his face forever. He use to first sell on Victoria Street then moved over on the south side. He lived on Cleghorn Street. He used to work at a bottling or glass factory on Cleghorn St. He was harmless and humble. His face wos clear and smooth he was a handsome man.
Peter Young:
I was told that he was in love with a dark skinned woman (I will not say what ethnic group) but his family did not like the girl because of her complexion and they believed that she was too ugly for him. He broke up with the girl, and her parents told him that because of what his family says, he will hide his face till death.
Sandy Leslie:
I saw his face once when he had the mask off he was a handsome man.
Walter Jones:
From what I was told when I was just a Kid by my grandparents and this was back in the 60s he was having an affair with a young lady who got pregnant and when he was confronted by the girl parents they had an argument in which he told the girl parents for him to have an affair with her he would have to hide his face because she was so ugly so the parents went to a witch doctor and did that to him , that s what I was told, but there is another story also it is said that he had a skin desiease and could not exposed himself to the sun for too long and I believe that one because I saw him several times in his little shop on cemetery road.
Anthony Usher:
I was about 9 and my older brave twin brothers, bet on who could put at least one foot inside his yard--thats when I found out the cowards weren't brave after-all. 2 yrs after we saw him in his shop without a mask-and so terminates our fear.
Desmond Crawford:
I remember being very well behaved when I would go to buy at his shop. I think a combination of curiosity and fear.
Joseito Sosa:
Yes it just go to show that in those days no one was judging him because he wore a mask . But instead just being curious why he had to be wearing a mask. Such a big difference now. He was a ordinary gentleman living his life and trying to offer his services to the people and yes they supported him.
Rafael Chavez:
The mask was a white pigtail bucket.. Yes,he had his little shave ice fresco shop in front of the city council pound yard. Harmless respectable man rumours was that a woman threw LYE WATER on his face.
Clarence Santos:
I was fortunate to see his face without a mask, they prayed for him at Bethel church on Freeton& he had taken off his mask for a while, that was in the 70's.
Photograph courtesy Jerry Straughn
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