The international

border Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...

between

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

and

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

is long and almost exclusively follows the course of the Hondo River. It separates Belize from the Mexican state of

Quintana Roo Quintana Roo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 administrative divisions of Mexico, federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into municipalities of ...

. The modern boundary was agreed to in 1893, and finalized in 1897.

History

The border between Mexico and Belize was difficult to explore because of its remote location, specifically for the Mexican territory. Because of the region's sparse population, the British colony of

British Honduras British Honduras was a Crown colony on the east coast of Central America — specifically located on the southern edge of the Yucatan Peninsula from 1783 to 1964, then a self-governing colony — renamed Belize from June 1973

, now Belize, was able to occupy the region. However, Mexico did not recognize British possession of the territory until the late nineteenth century. The Mexican government wanted to diminish, and eventually end, arms smuggling from Belizean

Maya Maya may refer to: Ethnic groups * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (East Africa), a p ...

supplied by rebels during the

Caste War A caste is a fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (endogamy), foll ...

, which prolonged the situation. As a result, the government of

Porfirio Diaz Porfirio is a given name in Portuguese and Spanish, derived from the Greek Porphyry (''porphyrios'' "purple-clad"). It can refer to: * Porfirio Salinas – Mexican-American artist * Porfirio Armando Betancourt – Honduran football player * ...

created a Federal Territory which had previously belonged to the State of Yucatan. They later formed the Territory of

and decided to negotiate with the British government to finally fix the common border. They agreed to recognize British governance for the territory in return for Britain's promise to refrain from arming the Maya. With respect to these intentions, Mexico appointed

Ignacio Mariscal Ignacio Mariscal (Oaxaca, Mexico July 5, 1829 – Mexico City April 17, 1910) was a Mexican liberal lawyer, politician, writer, and diplomat. He was named Secretary of Foreign Affairs in 1871–72, for the first time during the Benito Juárez ...

, Secretary of Foreign Affairs, as

Minister Plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...

and the United Kingdom appointed Sir Spenser St. John to its Minister Plenipotentiary in Mexico for negotiations. Belize-Mexico border crossing cropped

Treaty

A treaty was signed on July 8, 1893, in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

, and an additional convention added on April 7, 1897. The original treaty consisted of four articles; the first set the upper border, the second required the United Kingdom to stop arming Mayan rebels, the third laid out the obligation of both states to prevent Native Americans from gradually encroaching into the territory of the neighboring country, and the fourth required ratification of the treaty by the respective governments. The additional convention, signed by Ignacio Mariscal and the new British minister in Mexico, Sir Henry Nevill Dering, updated Article 3 to include a treaty establishing freedom for Mexican merchant ships to sail without restriction through the Boca Bacalar Chico and all British territorial waters in the

Bay of Chetumal Chetumal Bay is a semi-closed mesohaline estuary on the southern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula. It is located in northern Belize and southeastern Mexico. Geography The mouth of Chetumal Bay is directed southward and buffered by the large Be ...

. Military vessels were not included in the treaty. Admission to the Bay of Chetumal in Mexico called for the construction of the Canal de Zaragoza. In early 2007, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico announced an agreement with Belize for the delimitation of the maritime boundary in the Bay of Chetumal. This announcement initially sparked widespread public rejection of Quintana Roo because of a version that implied a territorial return to Belize that would include inland areas. It was later clarified that it was only a correction of the maritime boundary, which did not change the border treaty of 1893.

Border

Under the treaty, the border starts at Boca Bacalar Chico, a narrow channel that separates the southern tip of the Caribbean coast of the Yucatan Peninsula and

Ambergris Caye Ambergris Caye ( ; Spanish: Cayo Ambergris), is the largest island of Belize, located northeast of the country's mainland, in the Caribbean Sea. It is about long from north to south, and about wide. Many parts of the island have been modified ...

. It then runs through

Chetumal Bay Chetumal Bay is a semi-closed mesohaline estuary on the southern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula. It is located in northern Belize and southeastern Mexico. Geography The mouth of Chetumal Bay is directed southward and buffered by the large Be ...

in a broken line up to the mouth of the Hondo River. The border follows the Hondo River through its deepest channel and then along its tributary, Blue Creek, until it reaches the meridian of Garbutt's Falls (approximately 89° 9' W). From this point, it runs directly south to 17° 49' N latitude, the border established between Mexico and Guatemala. Currently the border has two official crossings where there are international bridges. The main one is located between Subteniente Lopez, Quintana Roo, Mexico, and Santa Elena, Corozal District, Belize. It is about from

Chetumal Chetumal (, , ; , ) is a city on the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. It is the capital of the List of states of Mexico, state of Quintana Roo and the municipal seat of the Othón P. Blanco, Quintana Roo, Municipality of Othón ...

, which is the capital of Quintana Roo and main city of the region. A new Belize–Mexico bridge located about 5 blocks west of the old bridge was opened to the public on 15 May 2013. The border between Mexico and Belize is one of the lesser-used borders by Mexicans, but it gained notoriety due to recent reports of drug trafficking across the border, with drug traffickers attracted by the border's relative isolation. This problem has also become more prevalent due to a significant increase in economic activity and tourism, especially on the Belize side of the border. It has also become more commonplace due to Belize establishing a free trade zone and the construction of casinos in the Santa Elena area. Bilateral agreements between Mexico and Belize have been made to combat the issue of drug trafficking across the border. Oct 5, 2010. Retrieved on Aug 13, 2014.

Cities on both sides

* Subteniente López, Quintana Roo - Santa Elena, Corozal * La Unión, Quintana Roo -

Blue Creek Village Blue Creek, also Blue Creek Colony, is a Mennonite settlement that is also an administrative village in Orange Walk District in Belize. It borders Blue Creek river, which forms the border to Mexico. Its inhabitants are Plautdietsch-speaking Russi ...

Orange Walk Orange walks, or Orange marches, are a series of parades by members of the Orange Order and other Protestantism, Protestant Fraternal organization, fraternal societies, held during the summer months in various Commonwealth of Nations, Commonw ...

International Bridges

* Subteniente Lopez International Bridge * Chac-Temal International Bridge

References