Periodisation of the history of Belize

The periodisation of the history of Belize is the division of Belizean, Maya, and Mesoamerican history into named blocks of time, spanning the arrival of Palaeoindians to the present time. The pre-Columbian era is most often periodised by Mayanists, who often employ four or five periods to discuss history prior to the arrival of Spaniards. The Columbian era is most often periodised by historians, and less often by Mayanists, who often employ at least four periods to discuss history up to the present time.

Belize / 2013 map by UNOCHA

Columbian

Periods

The Columbian era of Belizean history is most often divided into four periods, ie the Spanish, Precolonial, Colonial, and Sovereign, all preceded by a portion of the pre-Columbian Postclassic period extending past 1492. These are most often defined or characterised in terms of distinguishing events occurring between each period, ie events separating one period from another, and less often in terms of distinguishing events, trends, or milestones occurring within each period. Generally, there has been less attention paid to the periodisation of the Columbian era of Belizean history, as opposed to its pre-Columbian era, resulting in broad concordance between the upper and lower bounds employed for each period in scholarly literature.^{[citation needed]}

Postclassic

(see § Pre-Columbian below)

Spanish

Main article: Spanish period of Belize

The Spanish period is most often characterised as the time span prior to the beginning or end of the Tipu rebellion, 6 June 1638 – 31 December 1643 (1638-06-06 – 1643-12-31), or to the latest Tipu reducción in 1 January – 31 December 1708 (1708-01-01 – 1708-12-31).^{[1][citation needed]}

Precolonial

The Precolonial period is most often characterised as the time span running to the date on which the British settlement in the Bay of Honduras was granted a colonial charter, ie 12 February 1862 (1862-02-12), or the date on which these letters patent were proclaimed, ie 12 May 1862 (1862-05-12).^[2]

Colonial

The Colonial period is most often characterised as the time span running to the passage of the Belize Act in UK Parliament, the Constitution Act in the Belizean Parliament, or the date on which said acts came into force, known as the day on which Belize gained sovereignty or independence from the UK, ie 21 September 1981 (1981-09-21).^{[citation needed]}

Sovereign

The Sovereign ie Independent period is most often characterised as the time span running to the present.

Table

Defined upper and lower bounds of Columbian periods of Belizean history as per 20th and 21st century literature.^{[note 1]}

No	Name	Sub	Span	Date	Date	Event	Notes
1	Postclassic	Early Late	from latest Mayan monumental inscription to earliest Spanish contact or completion of Spanish conquest	13 January 910 (910-01-13)	13 January 910 (910-01-13)	Dedication of Itzimte Stela 6	cf [note 2]
				21 October 1492 (1492-10-21)	21 October 1492 (1492-10-21)	Arrival of Columbus
				1 January 1544 (1544-01-01)	31 December 1544 (1544-12-31)	Founding of Bacalar
2	Spanish	Early Late	to start of Tipu revolt or abandonment of Bacalar or latest reducción	6 June 1638 (1638-06-06)	7 June 1638 (1638-06-07)	Start of Tipu revolt	cf [note 3]
				30 May 1652 (1652-05-30)	31 December 1652 (1652-12-31)	Abandonment of Bacalar
				1 January 1708 (1708-01-01)	30 June 1708 (1708-06-30)	Latest Spanish reducción
3	Precolonial	–	to granting of colonial charter or to its proclamation	12 February 1862 (1862-02-12)	12 February 1862 (1862-02-12)	Charter granted	cf [note 4]
				12 May 1862 (1862-05-12)	12 May 1862 (1862-05-12)	Charter proclaimed
4	Colonial	–	to passage of Belize and Constitution Acts or from their enactment	6 June 1981 (1981-06-06)	7 June 1981 (1981-06-07)	Passage of Belize and Constitution Acts	cf [note 5]
				21 September 1981 (1981-09-21)	21 September 1981 (1981-09-21)	Enactment of Belize and Constitution Acts
5	Sovereign	–	to present	–	–	–	–

Graph

Po

Po

Spanish

Spanish

Precolonial

Precolonial

Colonial

Colonial

So

So

Po

Spanish

Precolonial

Colonial

So

↓Bacalar settled

↓Tipu revolt

↓Charter

↓Belize Act

│

1490

│

1540

│

1590

│

1640

│

1690

│

1740

│

1790

│

1840

│

1890

│

1940

│

1990

Upper and lower bounds of Columbian periods of Belizean history

Top rows display maximal and minimal upper and lower bounds of periods and sub-periods
Bottom rows display standardised or traditional upper and lower bounds periods and sub-periods
Key
Po = Postclassic
So = Sovereign

Table

Upper and lower bounds of Columbian periods of Belizean history as per 20th and 21st century literature.^{[note 6]}

Place	Start	Postclassic	Spanish	Precolonial	Colonial	Sovereign	Notes
Belize	1000	1544	1648	1862	1981	–	cf [3][note 7]
Belize	1000	1544	1708	1862	1981	–	cf [3][note 8]
Belize	1000	1521	1708	–	–	–	cf [4][note 9]
Belize	1000	–	–	1862	1981	–	cf [5]
Belize	–	–	1638	1862	1981	–	cf [6][6][note 10]
Belize	–	–	1650	1862	1981	–	cf [6][note 11]
Orange Walk	1000	1544	1700	1862	1981	–	cf [7][note 12]

Pre-Columbian

Periods

Pre-Columbian Belizean, Maya, and Mesoamerican history is most often divided into five periods, ie the Palaeoindian, Archaic, Preclassic, Classic, and Postclassic. These are most often defined or characterised in terms of distinguishing events or trends occurring within each period, rather than events occurring between each period (ie events separating one period from another).^[8] As a result, though the aforementioned sequence is well-established, and despite each period's characterisation being broadly agreed upon, various discordant upper and lower bounds have been employed for each period in scholarly literature, resulting in temporal overlaps and gaps between chronologies. Additionally, the events or trends used to characterise these periods are now known to have occurred at different times in different geographic regions, sub-regions, and settlements, rather than all-at-once across the Maya Region or Mesoamerica.^[9] This further adds to the discordance between chronologies employed in scholarly literature, as increasingly localised upper and lower bounds for sub-regional geographic entities are used (in preference to fixed or standardised regional start and end dates).^{[note 13]}

Preceramic

Main article: Preceramic period in Belize

The Preceramic period is most often characterised as the time span prior to the first appearance of ceramics in the relevant geographic region.^{[citation needed]}

Palaeoindian

The Palaeoindian ie Lithic period is most often characterised as the time span during which humans first peopled the Americas.^[8] Its start is, furthermore, commonly dated to modern humans' first arrival in the relevant geographic region.^[10]

Archaic

The Archaic period is most often characterised as the time span during which non-nomadic farming settlements first appeared in the relevant geographic region.^[11]

Preclassic

Main article: Preclassic period in Belize

The Preclassic ie Formative period is most often characterised as the timespan during which socioeconomically complex societies or states first appeared across the relevant geographic region.^[12] It was prior thought of as the period which preceded the Classic culmination or florescence of Maya civilisation, ie 'as a precursor to civilisation, but without the attributes of civilisation in its own right.'^[13]

Classic

Main article: Classic period in Belize

The Classic period is most often characterised as the time span during which the social, economic, political, artistic, and intellectual development of societies or states across the relevant geographic region first peaked or culminated.^[14]

Postclassic

Main article: Postclassic period in Belize

The Postclassic is most often characterised as the time span during which societies or states across the relevant geographic region underwent transformation or revival.^[15] It was prior thought of as the period which followed the Classic culmination or florescence of Maya civilisation, ie 'as a decline from the Classic peak of civilisation, a time marked by decadence rather than [a Classic-like] era of continued development.'^[13]

Though the entire Palaeoindian-to-Postclassic time span is often characterised as pre-Columbian, the Postclassic is most often end dated after 1492.^[16]

Table

Defining upper and lower bounds of pre-Columbian periods in 21st century literature.

No	Name	Sub	Span	Date	Date	Event	Notes
1	Preceramic	Palaeoindian Archaic	from earliest arrival of modern humans to earliest use or production of ceramics	11785 cal BC	11410 cal BC	Death of Naharon I	cf [note 14]
				6660 cal BC	6570 cal BC	Death of unnamed Toledoan
				1375 cal BC	1050 cal BC	Production of unnamed Cunil ceramic
2	Preclassic	Early Middle Late Terminal	to earliest monumental inscription	300 cal BC	200 cal BC	Inscription of Mayan hieroglyphs in Las Pinturas	cf [note 15]
3	Classic	Early Late Terminal	to latest monumental inscription	13 January 910 (910-01-13)	13 January 910 (910-01-13)	Dedication of Itzimte Stela 6	cf [note 16]
4	Postclassic	Early Late	to earliest Spanish contact or completion of Spanish conquest	21 October 1492 (1492-10-21)	21 October 1492 (1492-10-21)	Arrival of Columbus
				1 March 1544 (1544-03-01)	31 March 1544 (1544-03-31)	Founding of Bacalar

Graph

Pa

Pa

Archaic

Archaic

E

E

M

M

L

L

T

T

E

E

L

L

T

T

E

E

L

L

Pa

Archaic

E

M

L

T

E

L

T

E

L

Preceramic

Preclassic

Classic

Po

 ← Palaeoindian settlement

↓Maya settlement

 Spanish conquest →

│

8500 BC

│

6500 BC

│

4500 BC

│

2500 BC

│

500 BC

│

1500 AD

Upper and lower bounds of Pre-Columbian periods of Belizean history

Top rows display maximal and minimal upper and lower bounds of periods and sub-periods
Bottom rows display standardised or traditional upper and lower bounds periods and sub-periods
Key
Pa = Palaeoindian
Po = Postclassic
E = Early
M = Middle
L = Late
T = Terminal

Table

Upper and lower bounds of pre-Columbian periods of Belizean, Maya, or Mesoamerican history as per 21st century literature.^{[note 17]}

Place	Start	Preceramic		Preclassic				Classic			Po		Notes
		Pa	Ar	E	M	L	T	E	L	T	E	L
Maya	-12000	-8000	-2000	-1000	-400	100	250	600	800	900	–	1500	cf [17]
Maya	-12000	-8000	-2000	-1000	-400	100	250	600	800	1100	–	1500	cf [17]
Mesoamerica	-35000	-7000	-2000	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	cf [18]
Mesoamerica	-35000	-9000	-2000	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	cf [18]
Lowlands	–	–	–	–	-400	–	250	600	800	900	–	1500	cf [19][note 18]
Mesoamerica	–	–	–	-900	-300	1	150	600	790	900	–	–	cf [20]
Mesoamerica	–	–	–	-900	-300	1	250	600	790	900	–	–	cf [20]
Toledo	-13500	-8000	-1500	-900	–	–	250	–	–	–	–	–	cf [21]
Cayo	–	–	–	-1200	-300	1	150	600	800	900	1200	1500	cf [22]
Cayo	–	–	–	-1200	-300	1	300	600	800	900	1200	1500	cf [22]
Mesoamerica	-33050	-7000	-2000	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	cf [23]
Mesoamerica	-33050	-9000	-2000	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	cf [23]
Lowlands	–	–	–	–	–	–	250	–	–	900	–	–	cf [24]
Mesoamerica	–	–	–	–	–	–	300	–	–	900	1200	1521	cf [25][note 19]
Cayo	–	–	-1200	-900	-300	–	300	600	800	900	–	–	cf [26][note 20]
Belize	–	–	-1500	-900	-400	-100	250	600	800	1000	1200	1544	cf [3][note 21]
Belize	–	–	-1500	-900	-400	-100	250	600	800	1000	1250	1544	cf [3][note 22]
Belize	-11500	-8000	-900	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	cf [27][note 23]
Belize	-11500	-8000	-1200	-1000	-400	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	cf [28][note 24]
Mesoamerica	-10000	-8000	-1500	–	–	–	300	–	–	900	–	1520	cf [29][30][31]
Mesoamerica	–	–	-2000	-900	-600	1	250	600	–	900	1200	1521	cf [32][note 25]
Maya	-12000	-7000	-2000	-1000	-400	–	250	600	900	1000	1250	1521	cf [33][note 26]
Maya	-12000	-8000	-2000	-1000	-400	–	300	600	900	1000	1250	1521	cf [33][note 27]
Belize	–	-7000	-2500	-1000	-400	–	250	600	800	900	1250	1530	cf [34]

See also

• Periodisation of Mesoamerican history