Belize: El despertar de una nación

Although much has been written about Belize (formally British Honduras) in recent years, very little quality research in Spanish has been forthcoming. Thus, María Emilia Paz Salinas’s study of the political history of this emerging Central American country is an important addition to the literature. The author exhibits a sensitivity to Belizeans that has been lacking in almost all the previous books about politics in the colony that have appeared in Spanish. Even the use of the word Belize, preferred by Belizeans, instead of the Spanish, Belice, is an important departure from these past works. More important, however, Paz Salinas combines a thorough job of research with an interesting style of writing to produce this important book. She describes well the colonial relationship of Belize to Great Britain and explains the territorial dispute between Guatemala and Great Britain over Belize. It is the latter that has held up Belizean independence for at least fifteen years. While generally optimistic about the future of the colony, the author cautions that three hundred years of colonial and dependent capitalist relations will not disappear simply by changing a flag, and adds that if Belize opens the door wide to uncontrolled multinational investment, it will “sign its own death sentence even before its independent life is born.” The book is excellent and should be read by those with an interest in Central America and the Caribbean or in British colonial policy.