The Caste War (1847–1901) of Yucatan stands not only as a long-lasting Indigenous struggle but also as an armed conflict with a significant international dimension, particularly Britain's indirect involvement. Rajeshwari Dutt's fascinating book contributes to the growing scholarship on the Caste War by examining the participation of Belize (then the colony of British Honduras) in this violent confrontation between the Mexican state and groups of Maya insurgents. Through sustained attention to records in Belize, the United Kingdom, and Mexico, Empire on Edge illuminates the intricacies of British imperial rule in the Caribbean and the practical limits of colonial control on the edge of empire during turbulent times. It further shows how the fluid frontier between Mexico and Belize became, in the second half of the nineteenth century, a space of trade and illegal contraband as well as a site of uneasy cultural and racial accommodations.
Empire on Edge is a...
