Becoming Belize

Explores early Spanish attempts to colonize the area, positing an alliance between British logwood cutters and the Miskito Indians to counterbalance Spain's power. Looks at how social relations under forestry slavery resulted in less violence and outward resistance than was the case in British sugar colonies.

Taking the reader into the lived experience of Afro-Caribbean people who call the watery lowlands of Belize home, Melissa A. Johnson traces Belizean Creole peoples' relationships with the plants, animals, water, and soils around them, and analyzes how these relationships intersect with transnational racial assemblages.

Whether you want to dive the Blue Hole, explore Mayan ruins, or go cave tubing, the local Fodor’s travel experts in Belize are here to help! Fodor’s Belize guidebook is packed with maps, carefully curated recommendations, and everything else you need to simplify your trip-planning process and make the most of your time. This new edition has been fully-redesigned with an easy-to-read layout, fresh information, and beautiful color photos. Fodor’s Belize includes: AN ILLUSTRATED ULTIMATE EXPERIENCES GUIDE to the top things to see and do MULTIPLE ITINERARIES to effectively organize your days and maximize your time MORE THAN 20 DETAILED MAPS to help you navigate confidently COLOR PHOTOS throughout to spark your wanderlust! UP-TO-DATE and HONEST RECOMMENDATIONS for the best sights, restaurants, hotels, activities, side-trips, and more PHOTO-FILLED “BEST OF” FEATURES on “10 Best Diving and Snorkeling Sites,” “10 Best Mayan Sites,” and “Best Ways to See Wildlife in Belize” TRIP-PLANNING TOOLS AND PRACTICAL TIPS on when to go, getting around, beating the crowds, and saving time and money SPECIAL FEATURE on “What You Need to Know Before You Go” and “How to Do Belize Off the Beaten Path” HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL INSIGHTS providing rich context on the local people, cuisine, geography and more LOCAL WRITERS to help you find the under-the-radar gems COVERS: Cave tubing, jaguar trekking, fishing, diving and snorkeling, bird-watching, Mayan ruins, jungle lodges, the Blue Hole, Glover’s Reef, Hol Chan Marine Reserve, ATM, Barton Creek Cave, Placencia, Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, Caracol, Altun Ha, Shark Ray Alley, a side trip to Guatemala, and more Planning on visiting Mexico? Check out Fodor’s Cancun & the Riviera Maya. ABOUT FODOR'S AUTHORS: Each Fodor's Travel Guide is researched and written by local experts. Fodor’s has been offering expert advice for all tastes and budgets for over 80 years. For more travel inspiration, you can sign up for our travel newsletter at fodors.com/newsletter/signup, or follow us @FodorsTravel on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We invite you to join our friendly community of travel experts at fodors.com/community to ask any other questions and share your experience with us! *Important note for digital editions: The digital edition of this guide does not contain all the images or text included in the physical edition.

"Belize belies its geographical location: It is a sparsely populated English-speaking enclave perched between Spanish-speaking countries. The colonization pattern was very unusual and its diplomatic status remained ambiguous for more than two centuries until it became an official British crown colony in 1862 and finally an independent nation in 1981. "--

"A History of Belize, Nation in the Making traces the history of our country. It focusses [sic] on how we became what we are today. it travels through time and gives us the opportunity to study the complex society which we have inherited. History is never complete for we create history each day. The people, places and events presented in this book show us how important history is to a nation. We cannot move constructively into the future unless we understand the past and benefit from that knowledge. This book helps us to do just that.''--p. 4 of cover

If Belize is known for one thing, it's diversity. The only country in continental Central America to use English as its official language, this former British colony is host to a rich culture shaped by its Garinagu, Creole, Maya, Mestizo, and Mennonite population. Today, tourists flock to Belize to experience some of the greatest biodiversity on the planet. This travel volume utilizes helpful maps, intriguing sidebars, and colorful photographs to highlight the history, geography, wildlife, and traditions of this unique nation. Readers can even try making foods from Belize with simple recipes.

Lonely Planet Belize is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Explore the ancient Maya site of Caracol, dive the world-renowned Blue Hole, or spot toucans in the wild; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Belize and begin your journey now!

Belize, a small British colony in Central America faced with a territorial claim and military threats from neighboring Guatemala, overcame disadvantages of size and power by implementing a strategy of internationalization that utilized new international norms and international organizations, in particular the Non-Aligned Movement and the United Nations. This book, written by a key player in the independence struggle, details the history of the territorial claim and of the international campaign that made it possible for Belize to achieve secure independence with all its territory despite pressures from Britain and the United States to cede land and compromise its sovereignty.