History

The area now comprising Belize was originally inhabited by Amerindian groups (Caribs, Arawaks, and Mayas). The Maya civilisation rose in the Yucatán Peninsula to the north, spreading to Belize between the 16th century BC and the 4th century AD.

Arawak and Carib societies survived through farming, hunting and fishing. The Arawaks were particularly skilled at agriculture, growing cotton and tobacco in addition to fruits and vegetables.

Later, the Maya people also excelled at farming. Their primary crops included corn, beans, chillies, squash and cocoa. Pottery, fabric making, stone work and architecture grew to a sophisticated level as their civilisation progressed. Their achievements in mathematics and astronomy were advanced well beyond other comparable cultures of the time.

The Classic period sites flourished until about the 13th century, and suggest that the area had a much denser population in that period than it has had since. Post-Classic sites continued until contact with Europeans. Belize contains the archaeological remains of cities such as Altun Ha, Caracol, Cahal Pech, Lamanai, Lubaantun, Nim Li Punit, Santa Rita and Xunantunich.

1502: First Contact with Europeans

European contact began in 1502, when Christopher Columbus sailed along the coast of Belize but did not land on shore.

In 1511, the first Europeans set foot on what is now Belize. This was a small crew of shipwrecked Spanish sailors, who landed in what is now northern Belize after their galleon had run aground on the Alacranes reef near Cabo Catoche. Twenty people were washed ashore, and most of those were immediately captured by the Mayas and later sacrificed or taken as slaves. One of the prisoners, Gonzalo Guerrero, later defected to the Mayas, and married into a noble Mayan family. Guerrero married the daughter of Nachankan, the chief of Chetumal, and assumed the Mayan way of life. He and his wife had three children, who were the first mestizos (mixed Amerindian-European ethnicity).

Though tradition has it that European settlement began in 1638, there are no historical records of Europeans staying year-round in the area until the 1670s. These early 'Baymen' were drawn by the large stands of logwood, a valuable tree whose sapwood was widely used in Europe to dye clothing. In the early 1700s, mahogany also became a valuable export. Over the next 150 years, more English settlements were established. This period also was marked by piracy, indiscriminate logging and sporadic attacks by Indians and neighbouring Spanish settlements.

1840-1981: British Colonialism

The Spanish Empire granted the United Kingdom rights to establish logging camps in the area, but not to set up a colony on this land, which the Spanish Crown wished to maintain theoretical sovereignty over. While not an official British colony, British use and occupation of the area increased. In 1798, the United Kingdom and Spain went to war, and the Spanish Governor-General of Yucatán sent a fleet of 32 ships to seize the British settlements. From September 3 through September 10 a series of battles was fought around the islands and reefs off the Belizian coast, after which the Spanish forces withdrew. This is known as The Battle of St. George's Caye, and is celebrated as a national holiday each September 10.

The United Kingdom first sent an official representative to the area in the late 18th century but Belize was not formally termed the Colony of British Honduras until 1840. It became a Crown Colony in 1871.

In second half of the 19th century many refugees from the Caste War of Yucatán settled in the northern part of the colony.

Hurricane Hattie inflicted significant damage upon Belize in 1961. This resulted in the creation of two new towns. The first was Hattieville, just inland from Belize City, which was originally intended as a temporary shelter for those made homeless by the hurricane, but which grew into a permanent town. The second was Belmopan, a community planned as the new capital of Belize, well inland and near the geographic centre of the country. The building of Belmopan began in 1962, and in 1971 the Belizian House of Representatives started to meet there. Although no longer the capital, Belize City remains the nation's largest city and port.

1981 to present: Independence

British Honduras became a self-governing colony in January 1964 and was renamed Belize on June 1, 1973; it was the United Kingdom's last colony on the American mainland.

The government of Guatemala long claimed that Belize was rightfully Guatemalan territory, supposedly inheriting rights to the land from the Spanish Crown. Fear of invasion by Guatemala long delayed the independence of Belize. Finally the United Kingdom agreed to defend Belize from invasion if necessary after independence; this agreement led to full official independence granted on September 21, 1981, under the leadership of long time Prime Minister and independence advocate George Price. Guatemala refused to recognise the new nation until 1991.

However, the Guatemalan claim is still occasionally reflected in maps showing Belize as Guatemala's most eastern province. As of March 2007, the border dispute with Guatemala remains unresolved and quite contentious; at various times the issue has required mediation by the United Kingdom, CARICOM heads of Government, the Organization of American States and, on one occasion, the United States. Since independence, a British garrison has been retained in Belize at the request of the Belizean Government. Notably, both Guatemala and Belize are participating in the confidence-building measures approved by the OAS, including the Guatemala-Belize Language Exchange Project.

Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. The country remains plagued by high unemployment, growing involvement in the South American drug trade, and increased urban crime in Belize City. The British army continues to man bases there.

Belize was recently the site of unrest directed at the country's ruling party concerning tax increases in the national budget.