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Exactly how Belize came by its name is something of a mystery; it
could be a corruption of the name Wallace, a Scotsman and probably a
pirate, reputed to have settled here in 1620. Those preferring a
more ancient origin believe the name to be derived from beliz,
a Maya word meaning "muddy", or from the Maya term belekin,
meaning "towards the east".
What
is known is that by the late seventeenth century, buccaneers were
cutting logwood (used for textile dyes in Europe) in the
region, and had settled in a mangrove swamp consolidated with wood
chips, loose coral and rum bottles at the mouth of today's Haulover
Creek.
The settlement became known as Belize Town, and by the
1700s it was well established as a centre for logwood cutters, their
families and their slaves. The seafront contained the houses of the
Baymen, as the settlers called themselves; the slaves lived
in cabins on the south side of Haulover Creek, with various tribal
groups occupying separate areas. After the rains had floated the
logs downriver the men returned here to drink and brawl, with
riotous Christmas celebrations going on for weeks.
Spain
was the dominant colonial power in the region, and mounted several
expeditions aimed at demonstrating control over the territory. These
raids continued until the Battle of St George's Caye in 1798,
when the settlers achieved victory with British naval help - a
success that reinforced the bond with the British government.
The
nineteenth century saw the increasing influence of British
expatriates, with colonial-style wooden housing dominating the
shoreline as the "Scots clique" began to clean up the town's image
and take control of its administration. Despite fires and epidemics
in the nineteenth century the town and settlement grew with
immigration from the West Indies and refugees from the Caste Wars in
the Yucatán. In 1862 Belize became the colony of British Honduras,
with Belize City as the administrative centre, and in 1871 Belize
was officially declared a Crown Colony, with a resident governor
appointed by Britain.
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 Belize
travel guide
Caribbean
guide
On
September 10, 1931, the city was celebrating the anniversary of the
Battle of St George's Caye when it was hit by a massive hurricane
that uprooted houses, flooded the entire city and killed about a
thousand people - ten percent of the population.
Disaster relief was
slow to arrive and many parts of the city were left in a state of
squalid poverty. In 1961 the city was again ravaged by a hurricane:
262 people died, and the damage was so serious that plans were made
to relocate the capital inland to Belmopan. (Hattieville, on the
Western Highway, began life as a refuge for those fleeing the
hurricane.) The official attitude was that Belize City would soon become
a redundant backwater as Belmopan grew, but in fact few people chose to
leave for the sterile "new town" atmosphere of Belmopan, and Belize City
remains by far the most populous place in the country.
Since
independence the rise of foreign investment and tourism has made an
impact, and Belize City is now experiencing a major construction boom.
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Belize
Belize City
Where to go
When to go
Getting around
Costs, money, banks
Currency, exchange
 Eating
and drinking
Mail &
communications
Safety and the police
Work and study
Information
The media
Holidays
and festivals
Shopping,
souvenirs
Belize city
Arrival and information
Restaurants
Nightlife,
entertainment
Tours,
buses
Listings
Travel details
Explore Belize City
North side
South side
Cayo and the west
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Belize city
to San
Ignacio
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Belize zoo
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Belmopan
Practicalities
Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
Guanacaste
Park
Benque Viejo del Carmen
Caracol Ruins
Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve
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San Antonio
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San Ignacio
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Arrival
Restaurants
Kayaking,canoeing
Xunantunich, San Jose
Corozal, Orange Walk
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Travel details |
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