A History of Belize

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A History of Belize

• Nation in the Making

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Mayan Civilization Location

• Developed for thousands of years throughout
  northern Central America
• Mexico
• Guatemala
• Honduras
• El Salvador
• Belize
• Mayans probably settled in Belize around 900 BC
• Archaeological evidence suggests communities were
  present nearly 1000 years before that

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Mayan Civilization Artisans

• Agriculture allowed for the development of the
  culture
• Mayans cultivated
• Corn Cocoa
• Beans Chili peppers
• Squash Cotton
• Pottery was made
• Textiles were also produced
• by dyeing and weaving cotton

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Mayan Civilization Scholastic Development

• Mathematics
• Zero
• Astronomy
• Calendars
• Religion
• Writing
• Stone slabs, stela
• Books, codex

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Mayan Civilization Cities

• Temples for worship
• Palaces for royalty
• Public houses
• Plazas, sculptures, etc.
• Ball courts
• Ulama a game played with a rubber ball, the
  object of the game was to pass the ball through a
  stone circle, ball could only be struck with hips

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Mayan Civilization Peak

• Civilization peaked between 250 1000 AD
• Known as the Classic Period
• Powerful civic centers in Belize
• Altun Ha
• Lubaantun
• El Pilar
• Xunantunich
• Caracol

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Mayan Civilization Decline

• Limited food production
• Climate change
• War

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European Conquest

• Portugal, Spain, France, Britain and the
  Netherlands all began expanding
• Empire building took place in
• Africa
• Asia
• Americas
• Columbus sailed in 1492 and arrived in
  present-day Bahamas

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European Colonization Belize

• British buccaneers
• settled Belize
• Used the coastline and cays
• to prey upon Spanish fleets

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European Colonization Belize

• Spanish conquistadors traveled through Belize
• Hernan Cortes conquered Aztec empire in Mexico
• Pedro de Alavaro defeated the Maya in Yucatan
• Mayans in northern Belize fought back
• Most died from European disease

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Slavery in Americas

• First African slaves in Americas 1518
• Slave trade existed for more than 300 yrs
• Est. 15-20 million slaves transported

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Slavery in Belize

• British woodcutters needed laborers
• Not enough locals
• Imported African slaves from
• Caribbean sugar plantations

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Slavery in Belize

• 1700sAfrican slaves majority of population
• 75 African slaves
• 10 white
• 15 free Africans, mestizos, indigenous
• Slave trade ended 1807
• Slavery abolished 1833

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Economical Exploitation of Belize

• Western European nations controlled economies of
  their colonies
• Development in Belize dictated by Europe

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Forestry in Belize

• Forestry requires few people
• This kept the population low
• Logwood
• The main export for a time
• Mahogany
• The price export

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Development of Merchant Class

• Import of nearly all necessities
• Merchants became wealthy/powerful
• Trade with Confederates during US Civil War

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Land A Monopoly

• European absentee land-owners
• Excluded indigenous peoples from owning
• Only land owners could vote
• By 1817, Britain controlled unclaimed land

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Suppressing Agriculture

• Subsistence farming
• 1 per acre (1838)
• This excluded
• newly freed slaves
• Continued merchant monopoly

http//www.plentyaustin.org/belize.htm
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Independence in European Colonies

• Workers Movements
• World War II
• India, Vietnam and many other nations declared
  their independence
• Nationalist Movements

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Harsh Labor Laws

• Severe punishments for crimes
• Missing a day
• Leaving a job unfinished
• Disobeying supervisor
• 3 months in jail with hard labor

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Workers Resistance

• Mayan and slaves-turned-workers sought better
  wages and more control
• 1836-1936, 12-15 per month
• Company store
• Indebted employees

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Working Class Riots

• Currency devaluation
• Same pay, worth less
• Racist treatment during WWI, WWII
• Destruction of white-owned businesses
• Universal Negro Improvement Assn. (UNIA)
• Great Depression

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Nationalist Movements

• Large scale emigration
• US agriculture
• Panama canal building
• Britain forestry
• Peoples Committee (Peoples United Party)
• Assault on colonialism
• General Workers Union
• Alliance with laborers

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Constitutional Struggle

• Economic conditions
• Value of dollar
• Social conditions
• Universal suffrage
• 1964 Self government

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Contention

• Spanish law of 1821
• All Spanish colonies remained same
• 1945 Guatemala declared Belize as part
• Continued invasion threats (1972, 75, 77)
• British military prevented invasions

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