What to do when your independence leaders are pumped and ready to take control, the colonial power is ready to depart and then the larger neighboring, poor county announces, you really belong to us? Well your liberation theology suggests prayer, but also asking for help, from Britain, from the Commonwealth, from the nonaligned movement, and finally from the UN. Was the key helper Cuba? So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.
This stamp issue looks forward to the Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York in 1980. There is a reworking of the issue issued after the games took place showing the gold medal winners of the events featured. Though then British Honduras formed a recognized Olympic Committee al the way back in 1967, 14 years before independence, and sent athletes to every Summer Olympics since 1968. Belize has never sent athletes to a winter games and to date none of their athletes have medaled.
Todays stamp is issue A66, a 50 cent stamp issued on October 10th, 1979 while Belize was still a self governing colony of Great Britain. It was an eight stamp issue in various denominations that also offered a souvenir sheet. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 60 cents. The souvenir sheet is worth $13.50. The post game version of this stamp with the medal winner is worth $1.10.
The British had outposts in what they at first called the Mosquito Coast. The area was very sparsely populated but Spain was also making territorial claims in the area. After Guatemala was independent from Spain the claims on now British Honduras continued but Guatemala was always poor and weak.
In the 1950s the British were ready to wrap up the colony in Latin America. Their favored independence leader was George Cadle Price, the product of a British father and a Central American mother. Cadle Price studied widely to be a Priest. This allowed him to become immersed in the Liberation Theology of the day and also avoid military service to Empire at a time of war. When the pressure for military service lessened, he returned to Belize City having not been ordained as a Priest. He took a job with a prominent businessman and formed a sanctioned pro independence PUP political party.
The party though was about to have a giant monkey wrench thrown by neighboring Guatemala. They announced their intention to occupy and integrate Belize into Guatemala based on old Spanish claims. All of Latin America immediately backed Guatemala’s claim. The British tried to negotiate with Guatemala but the best offer from them was Belize becoming an affiliated state. This was not acceptable to now Premier of British Honduras Cadle Price. He petitioned Britain to send a small infantry force and a detachment of Harrier jump jets to Belize to deter from the army of Guatemala. Meanwhile Jones started lobbying Cuba to change sides to crack the previously solid Latin America block. When Cuba indeed came out in favor of Belize independence, Mexico also joined the cause. Now it was possible to get a UN vote in favor of Belize independence. This happened in 1981.
Guatemala finally renounced their territorial claims on Belize in 1992 and Britain was able to withdraw their military the next year. I can find no accounting of the cost of maintaining a presence in Belize for 30 plus extra years. Remember also the troops so far from home stationed on the surely aptly named mosquito coast.
Well my drink is empty and no matter how many stamps are presented here, there is never an excuse to toast Guatemala. Come again soon when there will be another story that can be learned from stamp collecting. First published in 2020.