BELIZE HISTORY

    Archaeologists estimate that at their peak, 1 to 2 million Mayans lived within the borders of present day Belize. Maya cities such as Caracol, Xunantunich and Lamanai commanded the landscape, with small agricultural communities farming the land between 1000 BC to 1500 AD. Evidence of this great civilization is apparent when visiting the Xunantunich pyramid. Ultimately however, the Mayan civilization collapsed and disappeared for reasons only partially explained today. Perhaps it was internal wars, loss of faith, deseases brought by European explorers for which they had no immunity, or a series of natural disasters that caused famine.

    Christopher Columbus sailed along the coast of Central America in 1502, and named the Bay of Honduras which borders the southern part of the barrier reef. The first Euroepan settlers in Belize were English Puritans, setting up trading posts along the coast of Belize. Pirates and buccaneers established permanent bases, harassing the Spanish galleons carrying gold, silver, and hardwoods from Central America to Europe. Logging became the dominant industry.

    Spain continually attempted to expel the British buccaneers from then Spanish territory, but finally signed treaties in 1763 and 1786 allowing the British to continue to harvest timber in exchange for protection against pirates preying on the Spanish galleons. Little did the Spaniards know that was a slippery slope that would lead to their loss of the area.

    During the 1840's, Great Britain declared Belize to be the colony of British Honduras. Development of Belize became more organized and multiethnic through a series of cultural changes. The European settlers began to marry freed slaves forming the Creole majority that still is dominant in the population. Mexican citizens began cultivating small farms in Northern Belize.

    In Southern Belize, the Kekchi and Mopan Maya sought refuge in the hills of the Maya Mountains. A small band of Confederate Civil War veterans settled in what is now Punta Gorda. Garifuna people migrated from the Bay Islands of Honduras, settling along the coast of Belize.

    By the early 1900's, Belize grew to ~40,000 inhabitants. Historians note that in 1931 a hurricane destroyed Belize City and wracked the economy for decades. By 1954 voting rights were extended to all adults. By 1961, England agreed to begin the process of setting Belize free.

    Finally in 1973, the colony's name was changed from British Honduras to Belize and on September 21, 1981, Belize's Independence was declared.