The first people known to have inhabited the land now known as Belize were a few scattered bands of hunters and foragers back in 2500BC, with the first Mayans taking over in 1000BC, building impressive cities all over. Amongst these were the powerful cities of Xunantunich, Altun Ha and Caracol.

Unlike like what had happened in Mexico, the proud, thriving Mayans resisted the Spanish Conquest fiercely, with the Spaniards unable to establish a strong presence here. The same can’t be said for the Brits, who, one century later, started occupying a number of areas around the country, bringing in African slaves to consolidate their territory and to exploit the forests for their logging endeavours.

Throughout this period, both Mayans and Spaniards tried to resist the ever-growing British settlements, attacking them on multiple occasions with little success. In 1798, the last military engagement between the two resulted in the Spaniards’ ultimate defeat at the Battle of St. George’s Caye, with the country being recognised as a crown colony of Britain and named British Honduras after some fifty years.

Following the Great Depression and WWII, the colony’s economy started to dwindle, and by the 1950’s, political activism ran rampant throughout, with the locals fighting for constitutional reforms. By 1964, Britain granted the country independence and British Honduras was officially renamed as Belize.

Throughout this period, territorial disputes with the Guatemalan government still hampered progress, with the British helping their former colony to maintain their land. Since then, Belize has dealt with a number of challenges, including high crime rates and poverty, with substantial economic growth and development taking place over recent years.