No one knows for certain what caused the disappearance of the Maya. Perhaps it was war, loss of faith, famine, or a series of natural disasters. Christopher Columbus sailed along the coast of Central America in , and named the Bay of Honduras which borders the southern part of the barrier reef.
The first settlers in Belize were English Puritans, setting up trading posts along the coast of Belize. Various bands of ship-wrecked sailors, buccaneers, and pirates established permanent bases in Belize, harassing the Spanish galleons carrying gold, silver, and hardwoods from Central America to Europe.
It wasn't long before logging became the dominant occupation. This band of rugged individuals took to calling themselves "Baymen" after the Bay of Honduras.
Historians and scientists are unsure what exactly this collapse. Some say overpopulation or drought. Whatever happened, the Mayan cities of Belize were abandoned and public work projects came to a halt.
By the time the first Europeans arrived, the people were there but the grand civilization that they had built was gone. On his fourth voyage, Christopher Columbus missed the Belize coastline entirely. He hit mainland Central America in Honduras and then sailed south.
Hernan Cortes, the conqueror of the Aztec Empire, passed through Belize in , but he left it alone. Leaving Belize alone became a theme with the Spanish. Consequently, Belize became a refuge for those fleeing from the Spanish elsewhere. One theory is that the coral reefs offshore made it too difficult to reach by sea. Another is that the jungles made it hard for the Spanish conquistadors to break through.
Belize became the center of a small rebellion in the early 17th century. Descendents of the Maya who had fled the Yucatan during the conquest rose up in Tipu, in the west of Belize. Unrest in Tipu continued until the Spanish moved the population to Guatemala in That marked the end of any lukewarm investment that the Spanish had in Belize.
While the Spanish were busy ignoring Belize, others were not. The coast of Belize, protected by the barrier reef, started to become a hideaway for pirates. The 16th and 17th centuries saw British, French and Dutch pirates move in. These men were adventurers, working on behalf of their governments to destabilize the Spanish. Once the pirates had mastered the treacherous waters around the reef, they were able to use Belize as a base. In the British captured the island of Jamaica from the Spanish.
This gave them an official base in the western Caribbean as well. With Belize and Jamaica under their control, the British had begun to make life uncomfortable for Spain. The Spanish had lost its monopoly in the Caribbean. In the end, it was logwood that became the prime reason for the British to pay attention to Belize. The plant grew all over the region and was a vital part of the wool industry, where it provided a certain type of dye.
In the early nineteenth century the settlement was called British Honduras, and in it became a Crown Colony. Belize City was the original capital of Belize, but when Hurricane Hattie inflicted significant damage upon Belize in , the government decided that a coastal city was too risky a location for their capital. Over several years, the British colonial government designed a new capital, Belmopan, at the exact geographic centre of the country, and in began slowly moving the governing offices there.
Belmopan today remains the capital of Belize. British Honduras became a self-governing colony in January and was renamed Belize on June 1, ; it was the United Kingdom's last colony on the American mainland. George Price led the country to full independence on September 21, after delays caused by territorial disputes with neighboring Guatemala, which refused to formally recognize the country. Throughout Belize's history, Guatemala has claimed ownership of all or part of the territory.
This claim is occasionally reflected in maps showing Belize as Guatemala's twenty-third province. As of March , the border dispute with Guatemala remains unresolved and quite contentious. That same year, in , a new British Honduras Constitution was also passed.
The Constitution came into effect on 31 December The House of Representatives was presided over by a Speaker, and the Senate was presided over by a President. The composition of the Senate were as follows: five appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Premier; two appointed on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition; and one appointed by the Governor after consultation with such persons as he may consider appropriate. This came effective on the first day of June An identification card system was introduced, and the eligibility for voting was brought down from 21 to 18 years.
The composition of the elected House of Representatives under the independent Constitution changed from 18 to 28 seats, and the term of office was increased to five years. In , the Representation of the People Act was amended to change the composition of the elected Members of the House of Representatives from 28 to 29 Members. Following the enactment of the Belize Constitution Fourth Amendment Act, , the number of Members in the Senate was increased from 8 to 12 Senators. In , an amendment to the Representation of People Act No.
Presently the House of Representatives has 31 elected Members. Since this is the tenth House of Representatives and the eleventh Senate since Belize attained self-government and marks the sixth change of Government since independence, Belize has come a long way to where it is now.
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