Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the socio-economic and environmental impacts of hurricanes and droughts in colonial Belize (1787-1981), which caused rapid price fluctuations in the markets and initiated long-term changes to human activities, including everyday agricultural practices.

Paper long abstract:

This paper explores the socio-economic and environmental effects of extreme climate events in colonial Belize, with a specific focus on hurricanes and droughts. Situated on the Caribbean coast of Central America, Belize was partially occupied by the Spanish empire during the mid-16th century and later attracted the interest of British loggers who settled in the area from the 1720s to exploit the timber resources of the country. Raised to Crown Colony in 1871, Belize’s history has been shaped by the recurrence of extreme climate events, which have heavily affected human activities and livelihood. According to historical records, at least 28 hurricanes hit Belize in the colonial period, while droughts are a frequently documented event during the mid-19th century, intensifying in frequency and duration from the early-20th century.

This paper will retrace colonial Belize’s climatic history by analysing the effects triggered by several extreme climate events. It will explore the short-term economic effects of the 1787 hurricane, when the arrival of supplies from Jamaica in response to the destruction of the crops inundated local markets with provisions and reduced the price of commodities, damaging the elites that traditionally controlled staples prices. It will also reflect on how floods or late rains could determine rapid rises in mahogany and logwood prices, the main exports of colonial Belize, as happened in 1792, 1828 and 1860. It will finally address the long-term changes introduced in agricultural and farming practice as 19th and 20th century settlers tried to adapt to floods, gales and droughts.