Grace Bank, formerly Barcadares, is an unincorporated hamlet 33 miles up the

Belize River The Belize River runs through the center of Belize. It drains more than one-quarter of the country as it winds along the northern edge of the Maya Mountains to the sea just north of Belize City (). The Belize River Valley is largely tropical rainf ...

. It was the second settlement founded by the first English settlers of present-day

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 ...

. It was settled in the 1650s, relocated in 1760, and resettled in 1853.

History

Prior to English settlement

Pre-Columbian

Grace Bank's immediate surroundings were likely first settled by nomadic

Paleo-Indians Paleo-Indians were the first peoples who entered and subsequently inhabited the Americas towards the end of the Late Pleistocene period. The prefix ''paleo-'' comes from . The term ''Paleo-Indians'' applies specifically to the lithic period in ...

prior to the 8th millennium BC, during the Lithic period in Mesoamerica.Paleo-indian projectile points have been recovered from Lowe Ranch,

Sandhill A sandhill is a type of ecological community or xeric wildfire-maintained ecosystem. It is not the same as a sand dune. It features very short fire return intervals, one to five years. Without fire, sandhills undergo ecological succession and b ...

, and

Burrell Boom Burrell Boom is on the Belize River twenty miles above Belize City, Belize. Tourists pass through this historic village on their way to the Community Baboon Sanctuary, where the population of black howler monkeys has grown to over 2,000. Demo ...

, all within seven miles of Grace Bank (, , , ). Mayan farmers founded permanent settlements in the area by the

2nd millennium BC File:2nd millennium BC montage.jpg, 400x400px, From top left clockwise: Hammurabi, Babylonian king, best known for his Code of Hammurabi, code of laws; The gold Mask of Tutankhamun, funerary mask of Tutankhamun has become a symbol of ancient Egypt ...

, during the

Archaic period in Mesoamerica The Archaic period, also known as the preceramic period,Kennett 2012, p. 1. is a period in Mesoamerican chronology that begins around 8000 BCE and ends around 2000 BCE and is generally divided into Early, Middle, and Late Archaic periods.Sharer ...

. By the

16th century The 16th century began with the Julian calendar, Julian year 1501 (represented by the Roman numerals MDI) and ended with either the Julian or the Gregorian calendar, Gregorian year 1600 (MDC), depending on the reckoning used (the Gregorian calend ...

, the region formed part of Dzuluinicob, a Postclassic Mayan state.

Columbian

= Rise of Spanish dominion, 1528–1544

= Sixteenth century residents of the area first became aware of Spaniards in 1502, with the 30 July landing of Christopher Columbus in

Guanaja Guanaja is one of the Bay Islands Department, Bay Islands of Honduras and is in the Caribbean. It is about off the north coast of Honduras, and from the island of Roatan. One of the cays off Guanaja, also called Guanaja or Bonacca or Low Cay ...

.During 30 July–14 August of 1502, Columbus surveyed the coast of present-day

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

from

to Trujillo. Alternatively, residents may have become aware of Spaniards after # the 1508 (start of July–end of December) arrival of Juan Díaz de Solís and Vicente Yáñez Pinzón to

Lake Izabal Lake Izabal (), also known as the Golfo Dulce, is the largest lake in Guatemala with a surface area of and a maximum depth of . The Polochic River is the largest river that drains into the lake. The lake, which is only a metre above sea level, ...

(, , ), # the 1511 (''s.d.'s.d.'') arrival of

Gonzalo Guerrero Gonzalo Guerrero (also known as Gonzalo Marinero, Gonzalo de Aroca and Gonzalo de Aroza) was a sailor from Palos, Spain who was shipwrecked along the Yucatán Peninsula and was taken as a slave by the local Maya. Earning his freedom, Guerrero ...

and his marooned shipmates to

Cozumel Cozumel (; ) is an island and municipality in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen. It is separated from the mainland by the Cozumel Channel and is close to the Yucatán Channel. The ...

. On 8 December 1526,

Francisco de Montejo Francisco de Montejo (; 1479 – 1553) was a Spanish conquistador in Mexico and Central America. Early years Francisco de Montejo was born about 1473 to a family of lesser Spanish nobility in Salamanca, Spain. He never documented his parentag ...

was named ''

adelantado ''Adelantado'' (, , ; meaning 'advanced') was a title held by some Spain, Spanish nobles in service of their respective kings during the Middle Ages. It was later used as a military title held by some Spanish ''conquistadores'' of the 15th, 16th a ...

'' of the

Yucatán Peninsula The Yucatán Peninsula ( , ; ) is a large peninsula in southeast Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north and west of the peninsula from the C ...

(including the territory of ). The

Spanish conquest The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It ...

reached the area in the third quarter of 1528, during Montejo's southern . Said conquest lasted until the first or second quarter of 1544, upon Melchor and Alonso Pacheco's defeat of

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 ...

and , and their subsequent founding of

Bacalar Bacalar () is the municipal seat and largest city in Bacalar Municipality (until 2011 a part of Othón P. Blanco Municipality) in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, about north of Chetumal. In the 2010 census the city had a population of 11, ...

. Some or most of the area's surviving residents were (forcibly) relocated to towns closer to Bacalar, and (forcibly) converted to Roman Catholicism.These towns were held in by Melchor Pacheco, Martín Rodríguez, Alonso Pacheco, Pedro de Avila, Alonso Hernández, Juan Farfán, and possibly Juan Pérez de Castañeda . A church was built in Tipu in 15431550 . A second was built in

Lamanai Lamanai (from ''Lama'anayin'', "submerged crocodile" in Yucatec Maya) is a Mesoamerican archaeological site, and was once a major city of the Maya civilization, located in the north of Belize, in Orange Walk District. The site's name is pre-Colum ...

in , 15441550, or in (, , , ), and a third (in Lamanai) in the 1560s or in (, , ). A Spanish plaza was erected in Tipu in 1568 . A secular parish was (belatedly) established at Bacalar in 1565 by Pedro de la Costa. In the latter three quarters of 1568, an and by Juan de Garzón and the of Bacalar resulted in the further disintegration of Postclassic Mayan society in the area, thereby cementing Spanish dominion from Bacalar.Franciscan frays Francisco de Benavides, Martín de Barrientos and Alonso Toral possibly accompanied the Garzón (, ).

= Fall of Spanish dominion, 1638–1642

= Bacalar began to lose control over its district in , as were forced to re-establish towns near Tipu in 1615, to conduct a in 1620.Juan Sánchez de Aguilar lead the 1615 , Juan Alonso Díaz de Aguilar the 1620 . In 1638, Tipu lead the area into general revolt against Bacalar, resulting in the collapse of Spanish power over the region by 1642, and the relocation of a majority of the area's residents to Tipu.Tipu's efforts were likely aided by the

Peten Itza kingdom The Peten Itza kingdom was a kingdom centered on the island-city of Nojpetén on Lake Peten Itza. Nojpetén Bernal Díaz del Castillo described Nojpetén in Chapter CLXXVIII of his ''Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva España'' N ...

, and by repeated piratical raids of the Bacalar district (, ). Spanish dominion over the (nominal) district of Bacalar was not re-established until the second or third quarter of 1695, during a by Francisco de Hariza y Arruyo (, , , ).

English settlement

Anglo-Dutch piracy, 1617–1650s

Pirates are first thought to have arrived near Grace Bank in 1617, during a raid of Bacalar by English pirates or privateers.The raiders further abducted Pedro Rojo, Antonio Gómez, and three other of Bacalar . Bacalar was thrice more raided on 22 November 1642 (, , ), in June 1648 (, ), and on 29 May 1652 (, , , ), resulting in its relocation first to Pacha, then to

Chunhuhub Chunhuhub is a town in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, Mexico, localized in state center, in the municipality of Felipe Carrillo Puerto Felipe Santiago Carrillo Puerto (8 November 1874 – 3 January 1924) was a Mexican journalist, politici ...

, until 1729, when it was resettled as a military outpost (, , ). In the 1630s, pirates were further attracted to the region by the increasing willingness of Spanish residents to trade with non-Spaniards, and the possibility of abducting Mayan residents for impressment or sale at non-Spanish slave markets.Pirates' enslavement of Amerindians is thought to have lasted until .

Belize City Belize City is the largest city in Belize. It was once the capital city, capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2022 census, Belize City has a population of 63,999 people. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, which is a ...

is thought to have been settled in 1638, by a crew of shipwrecked buccaneers.These buccaneers are further thought to have been led by Peter Wallace (, , , , , , ). The details of this story are debated (see eg , , , , , , ).

English logging, 1650s–1763

In the 1540s, Marcos de Ayala Trujeque, a of Merida, is thought to have pioneered the use of

logwood ''Haematoxylum campechianum'' (blackwood, bloodwood tree, bluewood, campeachy tree, campeachy wood, campeche logwood, campeche wood, Jamaica wood, logwood or logwood tree) is a species of flowering tree in the legume family, Fabaceae, that is na ...

dyes in the

Old World The "Old World" () is a term for Afro-Eurasia coined by Europeans after 1493, when they became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia in the Eastern Hemisphere, previously ...

. The early buccaneer settlers (now

Baymen The Baymen were the earliest European settlers with Afro-Jamaicans and Creole-Jamaicans, along the Bay of Honduras in what eventually became the colony of British Honduras (modern-day Belize). Settlement The first Baymen settled in the Beli ...

) turned to logging logwood in the 1650s, when they are thought to have settled Grace Bank (then ''Barcadares'').The use of logwood dyes in England was prohibited sometime during 21 March 158020 March 1581, per 23 Eliz. 1 ch. 9 . The prohibition was strengthened in 1597, per 39 Eliz. 1 ch. 11 . It was loosened on 29 February 1620 , and finally lifted sometime during 7 January 16623 May 1662, per 14 Chas. 2 ch. 11 (, ).

Anglo-Spanish hostilities, 1650s–1763

Barcadares's settlers opened conflict against Bacalar on 29 May 1652, when they are thought to have lead or been involved in that 's sacking.In addition to # the November 1652 raids of Mayan settlements on the New River (, , ), # the 23 October 1654 interruption of an by Francisco Pérez of Bacalar , # the 1660s sacking of Bacalar-in-Pacha (, ), # (possibly) the August 1677 interruption (by

Bartholomew Sharpe Bartholomew Sharp (c. 1650 – 29 October 1702) was an English buccaneer and privateer. His career of piracy lasted seven years (1675–1682). In the Caribbean he took several ships, and raided the Gulf of Honduras and Portobelo, Colón, Portobel ...

) of a by Franciscan fray Joseph Delgado (, ). Spanish Yucatan retaliated during 16 November 169428 February 1695 with a paramilitary campaign against the Baymen's camps and settlements, thereby presaging over a century of Anglo-Spanish conflict that would eventually lead to the relocation of Barcadares. This campaign lead to the first (of many) evacuations of the Baymen's settlements.With similar evacuations occurring in # start of January 1700end of June 1703, occasioned by three paramilitary campaigns by Spanish Yucatan (, , , , ), # start of May 172920 October 1735, occasioned by an infantry campaign by Spanish Yucatan (, , , , ), # 3 June 1747prior to end of January 1748, occasioned by a Spanish campaign , # 9 January 1752prior to mid-February 1752, occasioned by Spanish privateers or (, , ), # start of May 1753end of May 1753, occasioned by Spanish privateers or , # 18 June 175412 April 1755, occasioned (first) by a Spanish infantry campaign and (later) by a Spanish naval campaign (, , , , , , , , , ), # prior to 20 July 1759, occasioned by Spanish privateers or (, , ), # start of May 1760end of April 1763, occasioned by a naval campaign by Spanish Yucatan (, ). Spanish Yucatan also tightened its control of the waters off the Belize River beginning on 2 November 1705 with the arrival of privateers or Archibaldo Magdonel de Narión and Francisco Joseph Jiménez with 30 men aboard two . The final campaign against Barcadares occurred on 25 December 1759, when 150 Spaniards aboard a 'great number' of landed in the port of Belize. This

coup de grâce A coup de grâce (; ) is an act of mercy killing in which a person or animal is struck with a melee weapon or shot with a projectile to end their suffering from mortal wounds with or without their consent. Its meaning has extended to refer to ...

resulted in the imprisonment of a number of Baymen, the seizure of several loaded flats, the burning of Barcadares and nearby logging camps, and a nearly three-year evacuation of all settlements (in favour of the safer Mosquito Shore).Though in 1759, Baymen and the merchant shipping had been repeatedly harassed by Spanish privateers or (, , , ).

Geography

Political

Grace Bank is not known to have been settled by Mayans.The closest (known) Mayan settlements are New Boston (four miles due east) and Boom (six miles due south) (, ). The closest

Classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of Masterpiece, lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or Literary merit, highest quality, class, or rank – something that Exemplification, exemplifies its ...

Mayan city-states are

Altun Ha Altun Ha is the name given to the ruins of an ancient Maya city in Belize, located in the Belize District about north of Belize City and about west of the shore of the Caribbean Sea. The site covers an area of about . Stones from the ruins o ...

(eight miles northeast),

(18 miles northwest), and Camalote (39 miles southwest) (, ). The area is thought to have formed part of Dzuluinicob from the 10th or

12th century The 12th century is the period from 1101 to 1200 in accordance with the Julian calendar. In the history of European culture, this period is considered part of the High Middle Ages and overlaps with what is often called the Golden Age' of the ...

to .Based in Tipu, 60 miles southwest (, ). It was a part of the or district of Bacalar, in Yucatan, a province of

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...

, until 15 September 1821.Based in

, 71 miles due north . It was a part of the English settlement in the Bay of Honduras from the 1650s to 11 February 1862, and thereafter a and part 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

. It is presently part of the

Belize District Belize is a district of the nation of Belize. Its capital is Belize City. Geography Most of the Belize District is in the east central mainland of Belize; the Belize District also includes various offshore islands, including Ambergris Caye ...

Physical

Grace Bank lies on the northern bank of the

, near its confluence with Francisco Creek, some eight or nine miles inland (as the crow flies) from the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...

. It is 33 miles up the river, past Davis Bank, just before Lime Walk. It lies just south of Jones Lagoon, and west of Potts Creek Lagoon.

Climate

Grace Bank has a

tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate subtype that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ' ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Am''), with a MayNovember wet and a DecemberApril dry season.

Demographics

Government

Grace Bank is currently part of the

Belize Rural South Belize Rural South is an electoral constituency in the Belize District represented in the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belize since 2020 by Andre Perez of the People's United Party (PUP). Founding and creation The Rural ...

constituency, and is represented in

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

by Marconi Leal MP.

Economy

Society

Legacy

Notes

Citations

References

News

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Journals

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Theses

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Print

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # {{Authority control Populated places in Belize District Belize Rural North