Belize: History

Pre-20th-Century History

The first stirrings of Mayan civilization came with the emergence of farming villages in what are now Guatemala, Belize, Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, and northern Honduras between 2000-1000 BC. Cuello, near Orange Walk in northern Belize, was one of the first settlements, dating back to around 2400 BC. Lamanai, beside the New River, surged in importance around 200-100 BC, when its core became a major ceremonial center. It remained an important city until at least AD 700.

The Classic period of more advanced Mayan civilization reached its peak between the 6th and 9th centuries. In 562, the greatest of Belize's Mayan cities, Caracol, conquered Tikal, some 80km (50mi) northwest. The following decades saw a surge in construction and population here. Though it declined in importance after a defeat by Naranjo (Guatemala) in 680, it remained locally influential.

Sometime between the 9th and 10th centuries, Classic Mayan civilization mysteriously collapsed and many settlements were abandoned. Research points to a series of devastating droughts as the major cause of this disaster. Archaeologists have discovered that ritual activity in many caves increased after about AD 750, most likely in supplication for a reversal of whatever crisis was overwhelming Mayan civilization. The Classic Mayan heartland reverted to a more primitive cultural level, with a much-reduced population living away from the big cities. By the 15th century, the Yucatán and northern Belize were divided among a number of small, often quarrelsome, city states.

The first Spanish ships may have visited Belize's coast in 1508, possibly already bringing diseases such as smallpox, yellow fever and measles, which were to decimate the Mayan population. In 1544, a cruel Spanish expedition from southeast Mexico conquered Mayan settlements as far south as Tipu. The Spanish set up Christian missions, but the Maya rebelled frequently. A major rebellion in 1638 expelled the Spanish from most of Belize, and attacks on Bacalar by Caribbean pirates in 1642 and 1648 effectively ended Spanish efforts to control the country.

It was British pirates who began the next chapter for Belize - with the logwood they looted from Spanish ships. They discovered that the timber, which was in demand by the European wool industry, was just as profitable to cut as it was to steal. Consequently, many pirates began working in the logging trade. Most of the Baymen, as they became known, based themselves on St George's Caye.

Spain launched a series of attacks on the Baymen throughout the 18th century. The most famously unsuccessful of these, the Battle of St George's Caye, occurred in 1798. Around this time, African slaves were brought to Belize to cut mahogany - they soon made up over half of the population. In 1862, Great Britain declared Belize to be the colony of British Honduras.

Modern History

The start of the 20th century was tough for Belize, and British mismanagement fuelled claims for independence. After WWII, Belize's economy weakened, and independence agitators had their wish partly fulfilled in 1964 when self-government was granted. Democratic political parties and institutions were formed. The government decided to build a new capital at Belmopan in 1971, after Hurricane Hattie all but destroyed Belize City in 1961.

Independence became a reality in September 1981 when British Honduras officially became Belize, a member of the British Commonwealth. Guatemala, which had territorial claims on Belize, threatened war in 1972, but British troops were stationed in Belize to make sure the dispute remained diplomatic. During the volatile 1980s, Belize remained stable and pro-US, thanks mainly to large influxes of US aid. In 1992, a new Guatemalan government recognized Belize's territorial integrity. The British garrison was withdrawn in 1994; Belize now has a standing army of only a few hundred soldiers. An interesting point is that, in 1994, Guatemala (perhaps seeking distraction from domestic troubles) revived its claim on Belize, stating that it had never formally recognized it as an independent state, and claiming half of southern Belize. Tension eased somewhat in 2001 when the two countries signed a provisional agreement over the disputed land and Caribbean fishing rights. It picked up, however, when Belize threatened to expel two Guatemalan settlements it claimed were on the wrong side of the border.

Since the fall of General Noriega in Panama, Belize has become a major trans-shipment point for cocaine heading into the US from South America. Cultivation and smuggling of marijuana is also prevalent.

Over the past 20 years, Belizeans have been struggling to reintegrate indigenous culture. Many have had to leave the country to make their fortunes, sending money home to support family.

Recent History

Prime Minister Said Musa, in power since 1998, has overseen the transformation of Belize's economy. Service industries, especially tourism, dominate where farming, logging and fishing were once predominant. Closer ties to other Central American countries mean Belize is being gradually Hispanicized.

The country is prone to hurricane damage at the end of summer, as Hurricanes Keith and Iris proved in 2000 and 2001 respectively.

A recent diplomatic dust-up with the US has developed over the Bush administration, upgrading Belize to a 'Level 3' nation in terms of human trafficking; the Belizean government countered that the US is unhappy with the small nation's ties (and developing economic projects) with Hugo Chavez's regime in Venezuela.

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