Belize's British Colonial History: A Comprehensive Overview

Belize, formerly known as British Honduras, was a British colony from the 17th century until it gained independence in 1981. It was the last British colony on the American mainland.

The ancient Maya civilisation first settled in the region around 1000 BC, and the Spanish arrived in the 16th century. However, the British began to establish settlements in the 17th century, and the area became a British colony in 1840, a Crown colony in 1862, and was renamed British Honduras in 1871.

In the early 18th century, British settlers began to import African slaves to help cut logwood and mahogany. In 1838, slavery was abolished in British Honduras, and Indian indentured workers were brought in. In 1862, the area was officially recognised as a Crown colony of Britain, and it was named British Honduras.

In 1954, constitutional reforms gave Belize limited autonomy, and in 1964, a new constitution granted full autonomy and introduced universal adult suffrage and a two-chamber parliament. In 1973, the country changed its name from British Honduras to Belize. Belize achieved independence on 21 September 1981, but Guatemala refused to recognise it due to a territorial dispute.

The British Honduras period

Belize, formerly known as British Honduras, was a Crown colony on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico, from 1783 to 1964. In June 1973, it was renamed Belize and became a self-governing colony until it gained full independence in September 1981.

During this time, the British consolidated their settlement and pushed deeper into the interior in search of mahogany. This led to conflict with the Maya, who resisted the British intrusion. In the second half of the 19th century, however, a combination of events, including the Caste War of Yucatán, redefined the position of the Maya. Thousands of refugees fled to British Honduras, even though they were not allowed to own land. Most of these refugees were small farmers who grew sugar, rice, corn, and vegetables.

The costly military expeditions against the Maya, combined with a depressed economy, led to increased expenses for administering the colony. Large landowners and merchants dominated the Legislative Assembly, which controlled the colony's revenues and expenditures. However, conflicting interests among the landowners and merchants resulted in a stalemate, and the Legislative Assembly surrendered its political privileges, asking for the establishment of direct British rule.

In April 1871, a new constitution was inaugurated, and the Legislative Council became the new legislature. This constitutional change shifted power from the old settler oligarchy to British companies and the Colonial Office in London. The Belize Estate and Produce Company, a London-based business that owned about half of the privately held land in the colony, became the chief force in British Honduras's political economy.

The European minority, guaranteed representation on the Legislative Council, exercised great influence in the colony's politics. The governor appointed several Creole members to the council, but whites remained the majority. In December 1894, a crowd of 200-600 rioters rampaged through Belize Town, looting stores and freeing a labour leader from prison.

In the early 20th century, there was a brief revival in the forestry industry due to new demands for forest products from the United States. Exports of chicle, a gum used to make chewing gum, propped up the economy. However, the ruthless exploitation of the forests without conservation or reforestation depleted resources.

The Great Depression in the 1930s further shattered the colony's economy, and a devastating hurricane in 1931 demolished Belize Town, killing over 1,000 people. The British relief response was inadequate, and the Belize Estate and Produce Company drove Maya villagers from their homes, treating workers almost like slaves. This led to demonstrations, strikes, petitions, and riots that marked the beginning of modern politics and the independence movement in British Honduras.

Belize's independence

Belize, formerly known as British Honduras, was the last British colony on the American mainland. It achieved independence on 21 September 1981, but it has retained its historical link with the United Kingdom through membership in the Commonwealth.

The Road to Independence

In the 1950s and 60s, British Honduras experienced an increase in political activism, accompanied by a strong push for liberation from British governance. This effort resulted in the attainment of "self-government" in 1964, ultimately culminating in full independence from the United Kingdom on 21 September 1981. Signalling a break from its colonial past, the country was officially renamed Belize in June 1973. The name is believed to have Mayan origins, stemming from the word "Balix", which means "muddy water" in Mayan, a reference to the Belize River.

Challenges to Independence

Belize's path to independence was not without challenges. One significant obstacle was the territorial dispute with neighbouring Guatemala, which claimed sovereignty over Belizean territory. This dispute persisted even after Belize became independent, and it was only in 1992 that Guatemala recognised Belize's independence, although the territorial dispute remained unresolved.

Another challenge was the diverse ethnic composition of the country, which had shifted from a predominantly Creole population to one where Mestizos made up half of the inhabitants. Additionally, the country faced economic struggles, with the Great Depression of the 1930s causing a near-collapse of the colony's economy and a devastating hurricane in 1931 exacerbating the situation.

Post-Independence Belize

Belize has faced several challenges since its independence, including high levels of poverty. However, it has also seen economic growth and development, particularly in the tourism industry, which has become a major source of foreign currency. The country is known for its diverse cultures, beautiful beaches, lush jungles, and rich biodiversity.

Belize has one of the most stable and democratic political systems in Central America, and it continues to cultivate relations with Latin America, the United States, and the Caribbean. It remains a member of the Commonwealth, with King Charles III as its monarch and head of state, represented by a governor-general.

Guatemala's territorial claims

Guatemala has claimed sovereignty over all or part of Belizean territory throughout Belize's history. This claim is occasionally reflected in maps drawn by the Guatemalan government, showing Belize as Guatemala's 23rd department.

The Guatemalan territorial claim involves approximately 53% of Belize's mainland, which includes significant portions of four districts: Belize, Cayo, Stann Creek, and Toledo. Roughly 43% of the country's population (around 154,949 Belizeans) reside in this region.

The dispute's origins lie in the 18th-century treaties in which Great Britain acceded to Spain's assertion of sovereignty while British settlers continued to occupy the sparsely settled and ill-defined area. The 1786 Convention of London, which affirmed Spanish sovereignty, was never renegotiated, but Spain never attempted to reclaim the area after 1798.

At the centre of Guatemala's oldest claim is the 1859 Wyke-Aycinena Treaty between the United Kingdom and Guatemala. From Britain's viewpoint, this treaty merely settled the boundaries of an area already under British dominion. Guatemala, however, held the view that this agreement stated that Guatemala would give up its territorial claims only under certain conditions, including the construction of a road from Guatemala to the Caribbean coast. The UK never built the road, and Guatemala said it would repudiate the treaty in 1884 but never followed up on the threat.

The dispute appeared to have been forgotten until the 1930s when the government of General Jorge Ubico claimed that the treaty was invalid because the road had not been constructed. Britain argued that because neither the short-lived Central American Federation (1821–1839) nor Guatemala had ever exercised any authority in the area or even protested the British presence in the 19th century, British Honduras was clearly under British sovereignty. In its constitution of 1945, however, Guatemala stated that British Honduras was the 23rd department of Guatemala.

In February 1948, Guatemala threatened to invade and forcibly annex the territory, and the British responded by deploying two companies from the 2nd Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment. Since 1954, a succession of military and right-wing governments in Guatemala frequently whipped up nationalist sentiment, with incursions in 1957 and 1958.

In 1999, Guatemala shifted its stance back to inheriting claims from the Spanish Empire and the Federal Republic of Central America. Guatemala and Belize both stationed troops at the border, with a one-kilometre "adjacency zone" drawn on either side of the 1859 treaty borders. In 2008, Guatemala and Belize made a pact to have simultaneous referendums for their voters to send the issue to the International Court of Justice. The referendums passed in both countries by May 2019. As of June 2022, both countries are now settling the dispute at the International Court of Justice, with both countries confirmed to have submitted their initial briefs to the organisation. The court is not expected to rule until 2025 at the earliest.

Belize's diverse population

Belize is a melting pot of diverse cultures, languages, and ethnicities. While Belize is a small country, it has a population of many different backgrounds. Belize is the only Central American country where English is the official language, and Belizean Creole is the most widely spoken dialect. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language, followed by Mayan languages, German dialects, and Garifuna. Over half of the population is multilingual due to the diverse linguistic backgrounds of the population.

Belize's population is composed of many different ethnic groups, including Mestizo-Hispanic/Latino (51.7%), Creole (25.2%), Maya (9.8%), Garifuna (4%), East Indian (1.5%), and several other groups that make up the remaining 7.8%. The population is approximately 410,990 as of 2022.

The Mestizo population in Belize is made up of people of mixed Spanish and Yucatec Maya descent. They are found throughout Belize but are most prevalent in the northern districts of Corozal and Orange Walk. The Maya people, on the other hand, are primarily found in the Toledo District and speak their native languages, Spanish, English, or Belizean Creole.

Belize also has a significant population of Garifuna people, who are of West/Central African, Arawak, and Island Carib ancestry. They settled in several towns in Belize, including Seine Bight, Punta Gorda, and Punta Negra, in the early 19th century.

The Creole population in Belize is primarily made up of mixed-race descendants of West and Central Africans, as well as British and Scottish log cutters known as Baymen. They are found throughout Belize, especially in urban areas, and have also intermarried with other ethnic groups such as Miskito, Jamaicans, Europeans, and Garifuna.

In addition to these groups, Belize is home to a small but diverse range of other ethnicities, including Caucasians, Mennonites, East Indians, and East Asians.

The Maya civilisation

When Spanish explorers arrived in the 16th century, the area of present-day Belize included at least three distinct Maya territories: Chetumal province, which encompassed the area around Corozal Bay; Dzuluinicob province, which encompassed the area between the lower New River and the Sibun River, west to Tipu; and a southern territory controlled by the Manche Ch'ol Maya, encompassing the area between the Monkey River and the Sarstoon River.

The Maya people are still present in Belize and comprise around 11% of the population.

Frequently asked questions