Central American Membership: Belize among Neighboring Countries

Abstract

This article analyzes external factors that influenced the formation of the Belizean Nation-state from a regional perspective. It highlights the relations between Belize and Central America which have been worked scarcely in the social studies of the region. Among the factors that contributed to build these relationships are i) the formation of the territory in the midst of disputes and colonial interests between Spain and England; ii) the successive migrations that took place in Belize, and that formed a multiethnic and multicultural society, strengthening its ties with Central America; and, iii) the border disputes with Guatemala that caused a sort of externalization of its effects both in its representation of belonging to the region, and in its inclusion within Central American social studies.