México tiene historias que el mundo necesita conocer. La de Battle of Orange Walk es una de las más complejas, más reveladoras y, en muchos sentidos, más urgentes de entender. Aquí está el contexto que las noticias rara vez ofrecen.
La historia detrás
The Battle of Orange Walk took place on 1 September 1872 when a force of Icaiche Maya led by Marcus Canul attacked the town of Orange Walk in Belize. Canul had previously been involved in conflict with the British authorities over infringements of his people’s land rights and non-payment of rent and one motive for the raid may have been to seize the district magistrate for ransom. Canul and his men crossed the border from Mexico the day before the battle and were able to reach the town undetected by the British. They launched a surprise attack that caught the small garrison unaware – the British commanders were in the bath at the time the battle started. The British forces – a small detachment of the West India Regiment – successfully defended their barracks building for a number of hours, inflicting heavy casualties on the Maya and fatally wounding Canul. The Maya then withdrew into Mexico.
Los protagonistas
Background Marcus Canul was a chief of the Icaiche Maya. The Icaiche were on friendly terms with the government of neighbouring Mexico but had a history of conflict with the colony of British Honduras; Mexico itself had a disputed claim over land in the colony. Canul had fought the British in 1866, capturing for ransom a number of woodcutters working for the British Honduras Company in the Rio Bravo region. Canul and his men routed a detachment of British troops on December 21, 1866, at the Battle of San Pedro Yalbac. In 1867 the British mounted a counter-offensive, equipped with newly-arrived Congreve rockets. This counter-offensive burned down the villages of San Pedro, Santa Teresa, San José, Naranjal, Cerro, Santa Cruz, and Chunbalche. A small force of Icaiche Maya advanced into British Honduras again in 1868 and made demands for rent on land over which they claimed ownership; however Canul disavowed the actions of this force. Orange Walk Town located around 10 miles (16 km) from
Dato clave: On 1 September he launched an attack on Orange Walk, to further his aim of collecting rent payments and returning lands he claimed were seized from his people.
Lo que los documentales no muestran
Battle On 31 August or early 1 September 1872 Canul led a force of the Maya across the Rio Hondo from Mexico; this has been described as being 150–180 strong with around 100 non-combatant camp followers. On 1 September he launched an attack on Orange Walk, to further his aim of collecting rent payments and returning lands he claimed were seized from his people. A British press report of the time stated that Canul had intended to seize the town’s magistrate with the intention of collecting a ransom. British forces comprised Lieutenant Joseph Graham Smith and 37 men of the West India Regiment, together with the unit’s Assistant Surgeon John Dallas Edge. At around 8 am Canul led about 180 armed Maya against the garrison’s barracks, a 30-foot (9.1 m) wide and 60-foot (18 m) long structure built from 3” wooden stakes and roofed in palm leaves, that was situated midway between the town and the river. The Maya forces were able to approach the town undetected, a fact which led the British
Las consecuencias
Aftermath The battle was the last conflict involving the Maya in British Honduras and also the last serious attack on the colony. The Icaiche Maya thereafter maintained an uneasy peace with the British authorities. The garrison was reinforced by a further 50 men of the West India Regiment from Jamaica on 25 September as a direct result of the attack. In 1874 the British colonial government constructed a fort on the site on the battle. Lieutenant Smith recovered from his wound and was promoted to command a company of the 97th Regiment. Assistant Surgeon Edge was promoted to Staff Surgeon on 3 December 1872 for his role in the battle and later became a major-general in the Royal Army Medical Corps. Belizario was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal.
Por qué esta historia importa
La historia de Battle of Orange Walk no es solo un relato del pasado. Es un espejo que nos ayuda a entender el México de hoy — sus contradicciones, su resiliencia, sus retos y su potencial. Conocerla es un primer paso hacia una conversación más honesta sobre el país y la sociedad que queremos construir.
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