British Honduras or Belize as it is called today was once a colony of the British. This suffices for its name. The British navigators began their entry into Belize as early as 1638. They could not resist the temptation of acquiring log wood from the forests of Belize which could be utilized to make dyes and help them to make a fortune out of it. British Honduras saw frequent conflicts between the Britishers and the Spaniards as to who would establish their claims on the land. It was only after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles that the two parties arrived at conclusion and Spain acknowledged the Britishers claim to log the forests. British Honduras was originally the site where the Mayan civilization had flourished. They were the ones who resisted the Spanish and British attempts of conquering their lands initially. The Spanish rule in British Honduras collapsed in 1811-22 and this led to Guatemala's claim over British Honduras as part of the erstwhile Spanish territory. Subsequently a treaty was signed between Guatemala and Britain in which the former acknowledged Britain's claim over the land.
It was incorporated into the British Commonwealth and was called British Honduras. British Honduras underwent a change of name and was called Belize.
