Hispanic Belizean
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Fort George's Caye kids
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| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (Hispanic Belizeans 'approx. 180,000 ) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Mainly in the Corozal, Orange Walk and Cayo Districts, in San Pedro (Ambergris Caye) and Caye Caulker | |
| Languages | |
| Belizean Spanish · English · Kriol · "Kitchen Spanish" | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Roman Catholic, but also includes Protestantism, Rastafarianism |
A Hispanic Belizean or Belizean Mestizo is a Belizean of Hispanic and mestizo origin. Currently, they comprise around 52.9% of Belize's population.
Most Hispanic Belizeans are self-identified mestizos. Most mestizos speak Spanish, Kriol, and English fluently. The mestizo should not be confused with the Yucatec Maya who are also known as "Maya-Mestizos" in Belize.
In 1494 the Treaty of Tordesillas was signed, claiming the entire western New World for Spain, including what is now Belize. Then in the mid-16th century Spanish conquistadors explored this territory, declaring it a Spanish colony incorporated into the Captaincy General of Guatemala on December 27, 1527, when it was founded. In the second half of that century it was integrated into the government of Yucatan in Viceroyalty of New Spain. In 1530 the conqueror Francisco de Montejo attacked the Nachankan Maya and Belize but failed to subdue the Maya to Spanish rule, From 1544 we have the first written documents about an established Spanish presence in Belize, in the Mayan city of Lamanai. There a Spanish colonial church was built in 1570. This city reflects considerable European influences. Spanish missionaries arriving in 1550 evangelized the area's population of Ch'ol people (a language group belonging to ethnic group Q'eqchi' people), reaching the Amatique Bay (present Province Verapaz, in the southern half of the current Belize).
However, few Spanish settled in the area because of the lack of the gold they'd come seeking and the strong resistance of the Maya people. The Spanish colonists living in Belize often fought against the Maya, who were affected by slavery and disease carried by the Spanish.
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