The Composition and Distribution of Ethnic Groups in Belize: Immigration and Emigration Patterns, 1980-1991

Abstract

In the history of human migration, rarely has a situation arisen in which simultaneous voluntary immigration and emigration flows have dramatically transformed the ethnic composition of an independent country. Belize since its independence in 1981 provides an example of such an unusual combination of circumstances. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, anecdotal evidence began to accumulate suggesting that the country's population was undergoing profound structural changes that included realignment of its settlement patterns and alteration of its ethnic mix.

Historical declines in parrotfish on Belizean coral reefs linked to shifts in reef exploitation following European colonization

“…Reliance on coral reef resources likely accelerated in the 1800s with the arrival of the Garifuna (descendants of escaped African slaves and indigenous people from St. Vincent Island) who formed the first recognized coastal settlement in southern Belize (Bolland, 1986;Moberg, 1992;Woods et al, 1997). Numbering no more than 300 in the early part of the 19th century (Camille, 1996b), the Garifuna are traditionally subsistence farmers and fishermen (Craig, 1966;Adams, 1985).…”

“…Numbering no more than 300 in the early part of the 19th century (Camille, 1996b), the Garifuna are traditionally subsistence farmers and fishermen (Craig, 1966;Adams, 1985). Though initially pressured to work in the mahogany industry, the Garifuna spent off-seasons fishing and turtling (Camille, 1996b;Woods et al, 1997;Taylor, 2013); by 1823, Garifuna agriculture and fishing even supplied food to the main settlement in Belize City (Camille, 1996b;Woods et al, 1997). By the 1861 census, over 2,000 Garifuna had settled in Belize, with 80% living in coastal settlements in southern Belize (Camille, 1996b) and relying almost entirely on marine sources for meat, specifically fish and manatee (Conzemius, 1928;Craig, 1966).…”

“…Population increases and economic changes during the 19th and 20th centuries further affected coastal resource utilization in Belize. In the mid-19th century, refugees fleeing the Caste War in the Yucatan began settling in northern Belize, doubling the English settlement's population and introducing farming, cattle ranching, and large-scale agriculture to the importdominated economy (Camille, 1996b;Woods et al, 1997). This new mestizo population engaged in fishing in the north and off Belize's cays (Craig, 1966;Adams, 1985;Sutherland, 1996).…”

“…This new mestizo population engaged in fishing in the north and off Belize's cays (Craig, 1966;Adams, 1985;Sutherland, 1996). Belize's immigrant population further increased in the 1880s-1890s with the immigration of Mopan and Q'eqchi Maya from Guatemala and Mexico into Southern Belize (Woods et al, 1997). In the early 1900s, commercial fishing expanded in Belize, with local fishing cooperatives formed by the 1960s (Adams, 1985;Jackson et al, 2014).…”

“…Population estimates and demographic information and percentages similarly based on primary sources and given by Bolland (1973) and Bolland (1994) were also used to calculate the population and demographics of the settlement during this time (Figure 2 and Supplementary Tables 1, 2). A population estimate for 1845 was also taken from Woods et al (1997). However, these estimates do not include Maya or Garifuna people, and therefore significantly underestimate the total population.…”