"An Indian Nation, whose Object Appears to be to Obtain Both from Britain and Mexico, the Recognition of her Independence": International Diplomacy, Trade, and the Maya of San Pedro

Summary

In 1810, British Honduras was a set of coastal settlements, served by the British Foreign Office rather than the Colonial Office, with only usufruct logging rights ceded by Spain in treaty negotiations of 1783/1786. The Foreign Office used the new independence of Mexico, the Federal Republic of Central America, and later Guatemala, as opportunities to renegotiate terms, arguing they were no longer bound by treaties with the now defunct New Spain. At the time of these renegotiations, some Maya and mestizo villagers chose to leave areas of Caste War conflict and join "Indios Bravos" already occupying territory disputed between the new states and British Honduran settlements. Using documentary and material records, we explore how these villagers navigated and impacted the shifting territorial, national, racial, and economic interests of their struggling state neighbors.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018   •
• Colonialism’s End? The archaeological consequences of the Grito de Dolores

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 777