Starting with buckets of corn kernels, they wash the corn, cook it in water and lime juice, wash the corn again in a spinning machine, grind it, then mix a big batch of corn paste. They cut tortilla circles from the sheets of paste, cook them, pat the hot tortillas to check their thickness and finally weigh them on a hanging scale.

Even through this long routine, their faces show peace and quietude. They rarely stop to talk or rest. Inside the open-windowed, sun-lit room, they work from 4 a.m. to 6 p.m. A humming noise, like that of a window air conditioning unit, lends a rhythm to work. This beat comes from the motored rollers that flatten the tortillas and then carries them to an oven.

Corn tortillas are a staple in Belize, and the Mayan and Mestizos carry on the tradition of their mothers who made them from scratch. Luciana and Canul are Mestizos, a mixture of Spanish and Mayan descent and also considered the largest single ethnic group in Belize.

Canul and Castaneda gently pat each tortilla as if it were a baby. And they do this for a living. Often, there is no money left after paying off the business' bank loan and employees' salaries.

"If you don't have anything, you can smile," said Castaneda, whose only vacation from work was when the tortilla cutter broke in August. And even then, Castaneda worked at a snack shop serving fast food and midday lunches. "Maybe [smiling] will maintain courage to overcome. We should live one day at a time. That's Belize."

Outside the factory, cars rattle by, roosters and lost dogs wander past. The aroma of hot corn tortillas entices regular customers and tourists to the counter of NL's. Here, the Spanish-speaking women quietly, but proudly, hand out samples of their work. White, black and all skin colors between meet at the counter.

"We are one. We are Belizeans," said Canul, 35. "Everyone has a different type of eating, different type of dress. It's beautiful."

Natalio Castaneda, the husband of Luciana and the "N" in NL's, said the beauty of his country used to be a secret to tourists.

"A couple of years ago, the tourism industry wasn't as good. Foreigners were not aware that a place like this existed," Natalio Castaneda said. "Since then, Belize has been more exposed. People get to know we have nature, virgin nature, that hasn't been tampered with. [Belize] is quiet, it's calm. Foreigners like that. We offer a tranquil place."