Mapping and Belize: -A map is simply a drawing or picture of a landscape or location; it is important because it guides to a location and a map becomes universal.
-Steps to Map reading: 1. Choose the right map, 2. Check the Map’s orientation, 3. Understand the scale of the map, 4. Note the longitude and latitude, 5. Examine the legend.
-Why are maps important to history?? Explain the development/ changes that occur in territories; Historical maps hold information such as place-names, boundaries, and physical features that have been modified or erased by modern development; Historical maps capture the attitudes of those who made them and represent worldviews of their time
Location of Belize
-In Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico; At 17°15′ north of the equator and 88°45′ west of the Prime Meridian on the Yucatán Peninsula; Belize is shaped like a rectangle that extends about 280K north-south and about 100K east-west, with a total land boundary length of 516k; total area of 8866 square miles including 266 square miles of islands.
-To the north-Mexico, to the south-Guatemala (Izabal), to the West-Guatemala (Peten), to the East: Caribbean.
-Belize’s border is following the Rio Hondo in the North, until it reaches Aguasturbias, then it turns south; a straight line is drawn to Garbutt’s falls in Cayo and follows the straight line up to Gracias a dios in the south, then it follows the Sarstoon river.
Samuel Haynes and nationalism
-Samuel Haynes: Born on the 28th of February 1898, attended Wesley College, 1916 joined the 2nd contingent
-The black soldiers were treated like crop; in 1918 he had contact with the “Negro World” by Marcus Garvey as part of UNITED NEGRO IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION: they returned to Belize in 1919: ex-sevicement riots lead by Samuel however, he stopped them from doing damages: Causes: BAD TREATMENT AT WAR, PAYMENT Was NOT FAIR, UNEMPLOYMENt: Garvey met Haynes in Belize in 1922, Haynes Left Belize in 1923 and rose in ranks of the UNIA
-The Coat of Arms: The vines and the 50 leaves (1950)
Maya areas at the time of contact
- What made them survive: Community unity, Land and property, Strong belief system
-Chactermal: A few kilometers from Calderitas in present day Quintana Roo covering the whole area as far south to Guinea Grass. Chetumal controlled the area including the mouth of the Hondo, New river, and to Progresso Lagoon. Controlled coastal trade.
- Dzuilinicob: The area within the New River (Dzuilinicob river), and the Xibun river to the south and as far west as the Macal River. A major Maya group and city was located in the Western region and the city was called Tipu. Province of Yucatec Maya speakers can be referred as Chan.
- Manchechol: Group of Maya that spoke MancheChol. Includes areas within: south east Peten, northeast Alta Verapaz, around Golfo Dulce, Lower Motagua, and in Belize from Monkey River to Sarstoon.
Why the Spanish came?
- Reasons for trip to Asia: 1. To convert non-believers, 2. To find a new route to Asia without going through land, 3. Establish trading for spices with Asia, 4. Establish colonies in Asia
-Encounter with America: Conversion of non-believers: at any cost, Crusaders began to come to America, Exploit the resource.
Incursions
Gonzalo Guerrero and Geronimo de Aguilar, Fransisco de Montejo: 1527-29: attacked the region but under estimated the Maya
- Alonso Davila: went into Chactumal and found it empty; he created a town named Villa real: he defeated a small Maya band , “ Nachancan answered “I do not desire peace, the tribute you desire will be paid in turkeys in the shape of spears and maize in the shape of arrows”, The maya used guerrilla tactics, 1532: the Spanish were defeated.
- 1544: THE PACHECOS: GASPAR, MELCHOR (son) and ALONSO (nephew), Launched a campaign against the Maya (the cruelest campaign). The Pachecos established Bacalar, Chetumal was never taken over.
-Dzuilinicob: The Spanish could not control Tipu, Another contact was when the governor of Bacalar visited Tipu, The Spanish had control over the Maya in the area now know as Guatemala.
- Friars Fuensalida and Orbita visited Tipu, the Friars taught the Maya were converted to Christianity, Discovered that the Maya: were still practicing their religion, the Maya burnt down the churches.
Avenues to colonialism
-Introduction of diseases: The European diseases almost cleared 90% of the Maya population; City structure: The Spanish placed the Maya into regions the Spanish way where they could be controlled; Introduction of Catholicism: Acculturation- cultural change from a group of people because of borrowing traits from another culture. Brotherhood and saints were introduced.(Similarities between religions: Both had priests, Conducted pilgrimages set by their calendars, Burned incense during ritual, Images that were worshipped, Had a hero god who died and resurrected); Introduced iron and steel tools; Maya used: axes;Pigs, cows and other animals replaced the game meats, plants introduced; Introduction of alcohol- Maya used chich and Balche, Were not prepared for the “aguardiente”,drink a habit encouraged.
Maya forms of resistance: warfare, run away, hide religious beliefs, did not perform duties
British Vrs Maya:Logwood and Mahogany settlements
-Settledaround Belize City; Most convenient for the settlers because of the mouth of the Belize River was used for imports and exports; a small village; moving up and down the coast and up the rivers setting up temporary camps.
-The principal inhabitants were at Cay casina (St. George’s Caye)
How was logwood processed? The heart of the wood (2 ft), 20 feet high; stands near coasts and river banks. Cut into small pieces without losing its value. Logwood was shipped down river in dories or floating cradles of cabbage palm.
Rules of land distribution? Location laws: 1. When a person finds a logwood spot and builds his hut the land became his property. No one can cut within 1000 paces. 2. No inhabitant shall have two work sites. 3. No inhabitant shall have a double portion of land, under the pretense of a partner.
-Changes to Mahogany; All freeholders were entitled to logwood works. Inhabitants that owned “four able negro men” could get a mahogany camp; three miles around the area; Every ten able slaves meant two years of works.
-Enclave economy: An economic system in which an export based industry dominated by international capital extracts resources or products from another country.
British Meet the Maya
-The Maya had retreated in land; What was the purpose of the British? Extraction of Timber: the Maya saw them as threat to their territory and independence; Maya: “THE WILD INDIANS” Central Belize and northwestern region; no centralized attacks
EFFECT OF BRITISH EXPANSIONISM: The Maya retreated further in land; The British made sure to divide the Maya and the Slaves; The Maya attacked camps; British brought ammunitions and troops to the settlement
Caste war 1847-1901; the revolt of native Maya people of Yucatán (Mexico) against the population of European descent (called Yucatecos) in political and economic control; Occurred in the Yucatan Peninsula
Why it started? Social structure; the indios were at the bottom of the social pyramid; The European Yucatecos were expanding their territory and having private ownership of lands; The Maya were defending their communal lands
The war began: Yucatan was a free nation; The Indians were defeating the Yucatecos; Maya went back to their fields to plant; The Mexican republic aided; Yucateco forces: pushed back the Maya for more than half of the state; Yucatecos: North west; Maya: southeast; The Maya attacked constantly; Their major city was Chan Santa Cruz; Followers were called Cruzob; Joined forces with the Icaiche
The British: The Maya were buying gunpowder from the British; The Mexican Government reached an agreement with Britain; The Guns and ammunitions were not sold anymore to the Maya.
End of the war: The Mexican army managed to gain control over Chan Santa Cruz; the Maya retreated and still waged attacks; the Maya never defeated the Mexican forces again.
Caste war in Belize; The Icaiche: A Maya group that were called the pacificos that lived in the northwestern area of British Honduras and south west of Yucatan; Unified with the Santa Cruz to fight against the Yucatecos; then sided with the Yucatecos against eh Santa cruz
- Instability within the border: Nobody wanted to invest in these areas; British Hondurans could not get any land because the ICAICHE Maya were claiming the territory.
- The Icaiche and Santa Cruz split in 1851;Icaiche sided with the Yucatecos; in order to be free; The British began to harvest mahogany within their lands;Warfare between the Icaiche and Santa Cruz start; -Santa Cruz sided with the british: Leader was AsencioEk; Settled around YalbacCayo; Called themselves San Pedro Maya; fighting the Icaiche.
Colonizing the Maya: The Icaiche: Luciano Tzuc: Raided camps in 1856; The Santa Cruz: AsencioEk; controlled a significant area;
-Marcos canulIcaiche Maya leader: Demanded rent for the lands being used by the British; killed in Orange-walk
Maya united1882: the Maya accepted to respect the boundaries claimed by the British; Agreement between the Maya and British.
-Phases of British colonialism on the maya: Phase 1- 1788-1817; Maya launched a series of small raids on British camps in the western region; Maya retreated; Phase 2- 1817-1847: little activity the Maya went in land; Phase 3- 1847-1872: violent warfare between the Maya and British; Phase 4- 1872-1900: consolidation of British dominion. Colonizing the Maya: The Maya were denied land; forced to work for the “white men”
The Atlantic world: The interaction among the peoples and empires nearing the Atlantic; its principal theme is the movement of peoples, ideas and things in the Atlantic World.
A slave is a person who is owned by someone else and is forced to work for that person. - A master is the owner of the slave!
What was happening in THE WORLD? Boom in arts and science; Europe was searching for a way to Asia; The Portuguese met Africa; Colombus Met America; Africa before contact: Africa had major empires: Mali, Ghana and Songhay empire; Created universities, major cities: Timbuktu, Goa; Portuguese came in to trade manufactured goods; African clans began to invade other clans and capture other Africans; among the captured were scientists, writers, doctors, architects, mathematicians etc.America: Saw the potential for resources; tobacco mahogany etc; did not enslave the Maya; Bartolomeo De las Casas suggested to enslave Africans.
Trans-Atlantic slave trade; The removal by force of 10 million to 15 million people from Africa over a period from 1400 to 1900; the enslavement and transportation, primarily of African people, to the colonies of the New World that occurred in and around the Atlantic Ocean; Europeans took manufactured goods to Africa: Africans traded captives for goods; African groups raided other regions and captured the people; European countries involved in the trade: Sweden, France, Portugal, Spain, Great Britain, Netherlands, Denmark; Captured Africans: Walked to the Dungeons; Inspected by doctors; If pass: Branded; If fail: death; Placed into the ships to be transported
- Middle-Passage: Packed like animals; Died of sicknesses, thrown overboard, inhumane conditions; Save rebellions on board.
-Reaching America: In Caribbean: worked in Tobacco, sugar, and cotton plantations (raw materials); From Jamaica slaves were transported to British Honduras; Slaves were highly prized: 1807: slave trade ended
Organization of works in the settlement
-To work in the plantations in America except for British Honduras did not concentrate in plantations
- Camp organization: Logwood and mahogany camps: Small temporary and isolated camps in uninhabited areas; Small scale operations (Logwood); In order to extract the products heavy man power was needed
-Slave occupation: Huntsmen; search and survey the forest to locate Mahogany; Highly skilled; Axe-men: Cut down the tree; Swinging a heavy axe on a Barbeque; Worked in pairs or single; Cleaning around the tree; Cattle-men: feed and work with the cattle; Cattle were used for moving the mahogany; Food preparation and provisions on the camp: Rationed provisions; Cooked for the workers; Other slave occupations: Domestic: clean the house, cook for the master, etc.; Cultivated small plots of ground food etc.
Slave treatment; Severe punishment of domestic slaves; Slaves were very expensive; Treated like animals; were given rations: Included: 5 lbs salt pork, 7 lbs flour, Yams, sugar, plantains, rice and salt, grew provisions; Slaves were expensive; masters were afraid of the slaves; the case of Peggy: 1821; Bowen sent to beat his slave Peggy; Bowen was found not guilty.
- Slave responses: Revolts, Abortions, Suicide, Not performing their duties, Escapes, Maroon; Major revolts: 1773: 6 white men were killed and 5 logwood camps were taken over by 50 slaves; soldiers were sent from Jamaica; 1820: Led by will and sharper lasted 1 month; running away: Escape to Spanish territory: To Peten (Guatemala), Bacalar (Mexico), Omoa and Trujillo (Honduras); Maroonage: People who escaped slavery to create independent groups and communities on the outskirts of slave societies.
-Manumission: Earn legal freedom; Buy your freedom; Free slaves buy over the freedom of another slave; Masters let slave free; Masters in their will give freedom
Abolition and emancipation
-Abolition putting an end to something by law (1834) emancipation act passed; The European were afraid due to the number of revolts occurring; Slavery became too expensive; machines were coming up
-Slavery was outlawed; apprenticeship system set in place; Six (6) years of apprenticeship; Total freedom until 1840; Trade became inefficient; Slaves worked for their masters; all slaves over the age of six; 40 hours per week; British interests: Compensate masters for their loss (slaves being free); Masters were being paid reparations; maintain a work force; Apprentices saw it as another form of slavery; Revolts began; British subjects were afraid; physically and economically; Apprenticeship was cut short to only 4 years; from 1834- 1838
Emancipation was given! The process of being set free from legal, social, or political restrictions. (1838)