Belize City - History

Numerous ruins of ancient cities and pyramid-style ceremonial centers show that for hundreds of years, Belize was heavily populated by up to a million Maya Indians, who built elaborate cities and temples, and created advanced mathematics, astronomy, engineering and art. The Mayan empire, centered in Belize, reached its height between AD 300 and 900, and then rapidly declined. Historians and archaeologists have several theories--war, drought, rebellion, religious and cultural conflict are but a few--but whatever the reason, by the time the Spanish arrived in the early sixteenth century, most of the Mayans had disappeared and their once-huge cities were covered over by the jungle.

In 1502, Columbus sailed into and named the Bay of Honduras, but did not actually visit the area later to be known as British Honduras. The first recorded European settlement was established in 1638 by shipwrecked British sailors. This settlement was later augmented by disbanded British soldiers after the the capture of Jamaica from Spain in 1655. The settlement, whose main purpose was logwood cutting (logwood was used in the past to produce a dye) had a troubled history during the next 150 years. The woodcutters, who called themselves "Baymen," were subjected to numerous attacks by the Spanish, who claimed sovereignty over the entire New World except for regions in South America assigned to Portugal; English pirates also fought back by raiding passing Spanish ships.

In 1763, England and Spain signed the Treaty of Paris, which allowed the British settlers to continue cutting logwood in Belize; but did nothing to curb the mistreatment of African slaves, who had been imported into Belize beginning in the early 17th century to cut the timber; nor the increasing deforestation caused by the lumber trade. Territorial skirmishes continued until 1798, when a small contingent of British soldiers and Baymen defeated the Spanish in a key battle on tiny St. George's Caye, putting a permanent end to Spain's claims to territorial rights in Belize. In 1821, Spain granted independence to Mexico and Guatemala, both countries asserted claims to Belize; the claims were rejected by the British government. In 1859, the British signed a treaty with Guatemala whereby Guatemala agreed to withdraw its claims to Belize and the British agreed to finance a road from Guatemala's capital to Belize City. (The road was never built; and Guatemala's government failed to ratify the agreement. Guatemala continued to periodically threaten to annex Belize until 1991, when its newly elected government finally agreed to recognize the independence and sovereignty of Belize).

During the mid 19th Century, thousands of refugees fleeing civil war in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula fled to Northern Belize and developed a sugar-growing industry. Mexico abandoned its claim to Belize by signing a treaty with the British in 1897.

The British settlers had developed a primitive form of democracy called the "Public Meeting" system and had even written a constitution based on the system, which functioned until 1853, when an elected Legislative Assembly was instituted under the direction of the British Superintendent. In 1871, when the British officially declared Belize to be the Colony of British Honduras, the Superintendent was replaced by a Lieutenant Governor under the Governor of Jamaica; and the elected Legislative Assembly replaced by a nominated Legislative Counsel. The administrative connection with Jamaica was severed in 1884 when the title of Lieutenant Governor was changed to that of Governor.

Such quasi-democratic systems excluded the majority of Belizeans, who were not landowners. The British had officially abolished slavery in Belize in 1837; in retaliation, powerful landowners stopped giving away land to settlers in order to defeat British law permitting former slaves and people of African descent to own property. While landowners prospered, most Belizeans had a low standard of living and few rights. Creole veterans returning from World War I, labour union organizers, unemployed workers, religious activitists and others created impetus for a social and political movement that demanded universal suffrage and self-government. Workers' rights movements developed organizations to fight for better pay and improved working conditions; these organizations played a major role in the movement for Belizean independence.

In 1954, the nationalist movement achieved its goals of universal adult suffrage and a new Constitution creating an elected Legislative Assembly. In 1961, Britain agreed that Belize would be granted independence. By 1964, Belize had achieved full internal, elected self-government, based on a parliamentary system, with Britain remaining in charge only of foreign relations, defence and internal security. In 1973, the country's name was officially changed from British Honduras to Belize.

On September 21, 1981, Belize formally became an independent nation belonging to the British Commonwealth. Belize is a parliamentary democracy with a high degree of electoral participation and a Constitution that guarantees basic rights and freedoms to all citizens.