| Belize Timeline |
| A
chronology of key historical events in Belize. |
| 1100s - 1400s |
Maya civilization dominated Belize |
| 1123 |
Yucatec Maya overthrew the Itza-Maya |
| 1487 |
Aztec sent spies to Belize for trade and political information |
| 1508 |
First Spanish excursions occurred, Maya resisted Spanish attempts to control |
| 16-17th centuries |
The Spanish arrive, but fail to convert the indigenous Maya to Christianity. |
| 1600s |
The area of present-day Belize becomes part of Spain's possessions in Central America and the Caribbean; British buccaneers and woodcutters begin to settle around the Belize river. |
| 1763 & 1783 |
Spain signs treaties granting British subjects the privilege of wood-cutting, but retains sovereignty. |
| 1798 |
Spain tries to remove British settlers from the area by force but fails. |
| 1847-1853 |
Several thousand Spanish-speaking refugees settle in northern Belize and Maya communities relocate to the north and west following the Caste War in Yucatan. |
| 1859 |
Britain and Guatemala sign treaty defining border with Belize. |
| BRITISH RULE |
| 1862 |
Belize formally declared a British crown colony and named British Honduras. |
| 1893 |
Mexico renounces claim to Belizean territory. |
| 1930s |
Belizean economy hit by Great Depression; Belize City largely destroyed by hurricane. |
| 1950 |
Formation of People's United Party (PUP). Minimum age for women voters lowered from 30 to 21. |
| FIRST PUP ADMINISTRATION OF GEORGE PRICE |
| 1954 |
Constitutional reforms give Belize limited autonomy; general elections of 28 April 1954 won by People's United Party (PUP), led by George Price. PUP wins 8 of 9 seats. |
| 1957 Mar |
PUP retains office winning 8 of 9 seats following general elections. |
| 1958 |
Formation of National Independence Party (NIP) as first political opposition to PUP. |
| 1961 Mar |
George Price continues as First Minister following a clean sweep of all 18 seats in the general election |
| 1961 |
Hurricane Hattie kills more than 260 people. |
| 1964 |
New constitution gives Belize full autonomy and introduces universal adult suffrage and a two-chamber parliament. |
| 1965 Mar |
PUP retains office following general elections with 16 of 18 seats in the House of Representatives. |
| 1969 Dec |
PUP retains office following general elections with 17 of 18 seats in the House of Representatives. |
| 1970 |
Belmopan replaces Belize City as capital. |
| 1973 |
The country changes its name from British Honduras to Belize. Formation of the United Democratic Party (UDP). |
| 1974 Oct |
PUP retains office following general elections with 12 of 18 seats in the House of Representatives. |
| 1979 Nov |
PUP retains office following general elections with 13 of 18 seats in the House of Representatives. |
| INDEPENDENCE |
| 1981 Sep |
Belize becomes independent on 21 September 1981 with George Price as Prime Minister and Dame Elmira Minita Gordon as Governor-General, Guatemala refuses to recognise independent Belizei. About 1,500 British troops remain to defend the country against Guatemalan territorial claims. |
| FIRST UDP ADMINISTRATION OF MANUEL ESQUIVEL |
| 1984 Dec |
Manuel Esquivel of the centre-right United Democratic Party (UDP) becomes Prime Minister after defeating Price's PUP in the general elections. UDP wins 21 of 28 seats in the House of Representatives |
| SECOND PUP ADMINISTRATION OF GEORGE PRICE |
| 1989 Sep |
PUP returns to office winning 15 of 28 seats in the House of Representatives. George Cadle Price becomes Prime Minister. |
| 1992 |
Guatemala recognises Belize as a sovereign and independent state. |
| SECOND UDP ADMINISTRATION OF MANUEL ESQUIVEL |
| 1993 Jun |
Manuel Esquival becomes Prime Minister after his UDP defeats PUP in general elections; Britain says it will withdraw troops by 1994 after Guatemala recognises Belize; Esquival suspends agreement reached with Guatemala while Price was premier, claiming it made too many concessions in return for recognition. |
| 1993 Nov |
Sir Coville Young becomes the second Governor-General of Belize. |
| PUP ADMINISTRATION OF SAID MUSA |
| 1998 Aug |
Said Musa becomes Prime Minister after the PUP wins a landslide election victory with .26 of 29 seats in the House of Representatives |
| 2000 Oct |
Hurricane Keith causes widespread devastation. |
| 2001 Oct |
Towns flattened, thousands left homeless after Hurricane Iris hits. |
| 2002 Sep |
Belize, Guatemala agree on a draft settlement to their long-standing border dispute at talks brokered by the Organisation of American States (OAS). The deal, which proposed referendums in both countries, is rejected by Guatemala in 2003. |
| 2003 Mar |
Said Musa is elected for a second term as Prime Minister. PUP wins 21 of 29 seats in the House of Representatives |
| 2004 Jan |
Britain's Privy Council dismisses an appeal to overturn the Belize government's approval of the proposed Chalillo dam. Campaigners say the dam threatens rare species and communities downstream. |
| 2006 Apr |
Belize begins commercial exploitation of its oil reserves. |
| 2007 Nov |
Organisation of American States (OAS) recommends that border dispute with Guatemala be referred to International Court of Justice (ICJ). |
| PUP ADMINISTRATION OF DEAN BARROW |
| 2008 Feb |
Dean Barrow becomes Prime Minister after the United Democratic Party (UDP) wins a landslide election victory with 25 of 31 seats in House of Representatives. |
| 2010 May |
Government says it will stop sending appeals cases to British Privy Council starting 1 June. |
| 2011 Sep |
Belize is added to US blacklist of countries considered to be major producers or transit routes for illegal drugs. |
| 2011 Sep |
George Cadle Price dies on 19 September 2011, aged 92. |
| 2012 Mar |
United Democratic Party (UDP) wins second consecutive term in office with 17 of 31 seats in the House of Representatives. |
| 2015 Nov |
United Democratic Party (UDP) wins third consecutive term in office with 19 of 31 seats in the House of Representatives. |
