By Belize Live News Staff: Belize today marks the 228th anniversary of the Battle of St. George’s Caye.
On September 10, 1798, Baymen, their slaves and a small British naval force turned back a Spanish fleet in a two and a half hour engagement off St. George’s Caye. It was the final Spanish attempt to remove the settlers from the territory that would become Belize.
The victory secured the settlement’s future and is regarded as a defining moment in the country’s history.
The day has been observed for well over a century and remains a public holiday, opening the September Celebrations that run through to Independence Day on the 21st.
Celebrations across the country typically include ceremonial parades, church services, wreath layings, and the carnival and jump ups that fill the streets of Belize City and towns in every district.
The anniversary has also long carried debate. Historians and commentators have raised questions about how the battle has been portrayed, particularly regarding the role of enslaved people who fought in it, and about how the story has been used over the years.
That conversation continues alongside the celebrations.
