The Battle of Orange Walk

 Dr. Ángel Cal is one of Belize’s foremost historians and educators. He has interrogated, investigated, and published various works on the impact of the Caste War on Belize. Dr. Cal has also analysed other topics in Belizean history to inform Belizean consciousness and open more arenas for research. In this book, “English Reports on the Battle of Orange Walk, 1st September 1872: The Icaiché Maya Against a Detachment of the English First West India Regiment,” Dr. Cal presents a significant collection of historical documents. 

After offering a thought-provoking contextual analysis and introduction, Dr. Cal presents a paleography of documents. The impact of this work is threefold. It allows the Belizean population to access transcribed primary sources, an important opportunity for the general public, students, and researchers to evaluate records on the Battle of Orange Walk event. The paleography also revives discussions on the legacy of Indigenous resistance in Northern Belize. It allows the readers to interpret this critical moment of indigenous resistance against European expansion and encroachment on their territories. Lastly, the records show the different perspectives of the English on the event. This is an important opportunity for Belizeans to interrogate, research, contextualize, and be critical of how the different parties presented the battle. The palaeography offers valuable insights into the socio-political nature of British Honduras during the 19th century. It also provides data on the interactions and conflicts among groups in British Honduras. 

In this compilation, Dr. Cal illuminates the varied perspectives and tensions between the British colonizers and the Maya (Icaiché and Santa Cruz) population. This work is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the Indigenous struggle against British colonialism in Northern Belize. It also invites Belizeans to engage with Belizean history and the primary sources that our institutions offer.