Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The dispute dates to colonial times, when Spain officially claimed all of the
Central American coast but was unable in practice to enforce its claim. English
privateers and traders established a beachhead along the southern coast of Belize
and extracted valuable timber products, including mahogany. The English pres-
ence was officially recognized by Spain in 1763, granting the British the right
to extract forest products but refusing them the right of permanent settlement.
The first permanent settlements came soonafter Central American independence
from Spain, the British clearly taking advantage of the power vacuum created in
the aftermath of Spanish rule. The weakness of Guatemala's early governments
was evident in an 1859 treaty, which officially recognized the British presence
and“lent”theBelizeterritorytothemforfurtherresourceextractioninexchange
for a payment of £50,000 and the construction of a road from Belize to Guatem-
ala City. Great Britain never held up its end of the bargain on either point and so
the treaty was rendered null and void. British occupation of the lands continued,
however, and the land eventually became known as the colony of British Hon-
duras, which was granted its independence from England in 1981.
Inrecentyears,GuatemalahaslimiteditsclaimstothesouthernhalfofBelize,
from the Río Sibún to the Río Sarstún, arguing that historical documents sup-
port its claims and include this territory as part of the region of “Las Verapaces.”
Some Guatemalan analysts believe there might be a case here, though the reas-
ons for Guatemala's insistence in this matter remain a mystery. The current gov-
ernment has expressed its interest in getting its case settled once and for all by
international arbitration,whichwouldmeanbringingittotheInternationalCourt
in The Hague if all other avenues fail. Belize has tried to get the matter resolved
in the Organization of American States (OAS), so far unsuccessfully, and has re-
peatedly stated that it will not cede “a single inch of its territory.”
It's doubtful Guatemala will ever be able to recover its full claim, though the
possibility for comanagement of the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Park (also claimed
by Honduras) as a trinational park might be the most realistic outcome of any
internationally mediated settlement on this matter. It would give Guatemala the
onething its geography andtourist offerings lack: white-sand Caribbean beaches
with clear, turquoise waters.
Lívingston is one of Guatemala's most culturally diverse regions, with Garífuna,
Hindu, Q'eqchi', and ladino cultures peacefully coexisting here. Of these, the
Garífuna and Hindu influences are particularly interesting because they are not
