by Hector Silva:

This question was asked of me a couple of years ago. I immediately put my coconut to work.

I reviewed what has been written and said about the MAYA EMPIRE.

I went back as far as when the Spaniard ADVENTURERS began their attempts to conquer foreign lands, under the pretext, that a Pope Alexander had given Spain and Portugal the rights (ownership) over the New World in 1493, after Columbus failed attempt to reach INDIA through the Atlantic Ocean. (So by this we rebuke the notion that the inhabitants of the New World are Indians.) SO, NO MAYA INDIAN DEH. ").

SO I initiated with the attempt in 1511, by Hernan Cortez, to enter through CHACTEMAL (Corozal) on his conquest journey, but they

were repelled by Maya Chief, Nachan Can with this now famous rebuke. " I will send you corn in the shape of SWORDS and turkeys in the shape of LANCES." So the Spaniards sailed towards Honduras and entered on their way to Peten ITZA, south of Punta Gorda.,

I then followed that period between this attempt by Spain to snatch these Maya lands, and the year 1638, when the three Maya Groups, the MOPAN, the YUCATEC and the ITZA declared a WAR OF LIBERATION against the Spaniards at TIPU, the Western Capital of the MAYA. - By 1642 the Maya drove the Spaniards back to Bacalar..

IT SHOULD BE NOTED that during the period 1511 and 1642, the Spaniards made many ATTEMPS at conquering the now Belize Lands, but the Maya resisted these attempts. ( there are instances.)

( Here I pause to EXPRESS, '' OUR GRATITUDE TO THE MAYA, FOR PRESERVING THIS TERRITORY FOR US. " )

Had the Maya succumbed to the Spaniards, there would not be a BELIZE.

THEN CAME THE BRITISH COLONIZERS and WOOD CUTTERS, who began to show their presence in these lands. - In their advance to the interior, they had many bloody clashes with the MAYA. - One of their accusations was that the Maya in their farming methods of cut and burn, destroyed too many mahogany trees. - But of course the main aim of the British Colonizers was to exploit the jungle Natural Resources in these Lands.

FINALLY in the 1700's, SPAIN MADE ANOTHER AND THEIR LAST ATTEMPT to conquer these precious lands. Several skirmishes like the Battle at Laboring Creek, The incursion by Spanish General, Melchor de Mencos at Spanish Lookout.

BUT the more serious one was, the attempt by Spain, on September the 5th to the 10th to invade VIA St George's Caye. They were badly REPELLED, never to return.

( HERE I PAUSE TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE BRITISH COLONIZERS and THEIR SUBJECTS FOR DEFFENDING these lands for us.

SO BELIZE CONTINUED WEATHERING THE COLONIAL OPPRESION and continued suffering the pangs of Slavery, until a movement of Independence arose in 1950 to remove the shackles of colonialism SO WE STRUGGLED FOR 31 YEARS TO ATTAIN OUR SOVEREIGNITY and TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY in 1981.