Every year we take September 10th to celebrate what some might say was a pivotal moment in the history of Belize: The Battle of St George’s Caye.
More than 200 years ago when Mexico-based Spaniards attempted to invade British Honduras, our community banded together to repel the invasion. Baymen stood shoulder to shoulder with both slaves and the British in a week long affair that culminated in a three-hour battle off St George’s Caye.
While that battle changed little at the time (aside from reducing the threat of invasion), a century later a campaign was created to recognize the efforts of the Baymen and slaves. The colonial government made September 9 and 10 a holiday that we still celebrate to this day, only now just on the 10th of each September.
