Brutalism in Belize

Belize's most significant modern building is the National Assembly (1970) in Belmopan, the planned capital created inland after Hurricane Hattie devastated Belize City in 1961. Designed by the British practice Norman & Dawbarn, who planned the new town, the assembly building uses concrete forms said to echo Maya temple massing, tying the young capital to the region's ancient architecture. Belmopan as a whole is a rare example of a complete modernist capital project in Central America.