belize's social structure is marked by enduring differences in the distribution of wealth, power, and prestige. because of the small size of belize's population and the intimate scale of social relations, the social distance between the rich and the poor, while significant, is nowhere as vast as in other caribbean and central american societies, such as jamaica and el salvador. belize lacks the violent class and racial conflict that has figured so prominently in the social life of its central american people.