Belgians in Guatemala

Leopold II of Belgium had inherited colonial scheming from his father, Leopold I. In the early 1840s Belgium acquired a lease at Santo Tomas de Castilla, on the Caribbean coast of Guatemala. I don't know exactly when the scheme was given up or the lease ended, but the area appeared as Belgian on maps as late as at least 1862. Does anyone have any good info on this? Could we make something of it?
 
Leopold II of Belgium had inherited colonial scheming from his father, Leopold I. In the early 1840s Belgium acquired a lease at Santo Tomas de Castilla, on the Caribbean coast of Guatemala. I don't know exactly when the scheme was given up or the lease ended, but the area appeared as Belgian on maps as late as at least 1862. Does anyone have any good info on this? Could we make something of it?
Leopold I did colonial scheming? Any links, references to that?
 
I don't have the links, but a book on Europe's economic history in the 19th century stated Leopold I's intentions in Guatemala, but also that he was interested in purchasing the Philippines from Spain.

I've seen mention of Sarawak in Borneo and Rio Nunez in Guinea, as well as others (Ethiopia, the Nicobars) that may actually be ambitions of his son.
 
Hmmph! OK

fromhttp://dspace.uta.edu/bitstream/handle/10106/382/DISFINAL_GD3.pdf;jsessionid=76161F96DF7056F75AE078C1FFC6077E?sequence=2

a footnote reads:
3The files of the Archives du ministère des Affaires Etrangères et due ommerce
Extérieur show the following files opened at Leopold’s request in terms of possible
colonial interest: Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Paraguay, Mexico-State of Puebla,
Sandwich Islands, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, San Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Rio
Nunez, Marie – West coast of Africa, Bolivia, Columbia, Guiana, Argentina – La Plata,
Argentina – Villaguay, Patagonia, Florida, Texas, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Missouri,
Kansas, Isle of Pines, Cozumel, St. Bartholomew Island, Haiti, Tortugas, Faeroe
Islands, Portugal, Isle of Nordstrand, Cypress, Surinam, India, Java, Philippines,Abyssinia, Barbary Coast, Guinea Coast, Madagascar, Republic of South Africa,
Nicabar, Singapore, New Zealand, New Guinea – Papua, Australia Fiji, Malaysia,
Marianas Island, New Hebrides, Samoa. AMAE.
and again
Despite a
seeming lack of nationalistic or historical “myths,” Belgium, or more precisely her king,
tried over and over to initiate over fifty colonial endeavors throughout the world,
establishing none. No Belgian colony was established during the reign of Leopold I.
Why? This is especially pertinent in view of the single-minded success of Leopold’s
son, Leopold II, in the Congo. The intent, then, is to look at Leopold I and his colonial
adventures to understand what, if anything, can deepen our understanding of late
nineteenth century colonialism and perhaps, as a side note, gain some insight as to
Leopold II and his “success.”
 
well, a Belgian 'free state' in Guatemala could butterfly away the Congo- saving the tens of thousands of Leopold II's victims- but then wouldn't the Maya in Guatemala become victims of whatever crackpot schemes Leoold would try to orchestrate there. along the scale of the genocide committed by the Rios Montt regime during the 1980s (& as detailed by the UN in its 1996 Report) ?

also- nslightly off topic- just thought bout KING LEOPOLD'S GHOST as a movie. Could have hist characters involved in exposing Leopold's abuses as the main protagonists in the film- such as George Washington Williams (Terrence Howard would be pretty good in this role IMHO) & Roger Casement (played by say Ioan Grufudd, James McAvoy or Robert Carlyle). That'd be pretty powerful as a new movie...
 
well, a Belgian 'free state' in Guatemala could butterfly away the Congo- saving the tens of thousands of Leopold II's victims- but then wouldn't the Maya in Guatemala become victims of whatever crackpot schemes Leoold would try to orchestrate there. along the scale of the genocide committed by the Rios Montt regime during the 1980s (& as detailed by the UN in its 1996 Report) ?

also- nslightly off topic- just thought bout KING LEOPOLD'S GHOST as a movie. Could have hist characters involved in exposing Leopold's abuses as the main protagonists in the film- such as George Washington Williams (Terrence Howard would be pretty good in this role IMHO) & Roger Casement (played by say Ioan Grufudd, James McAvoy or Robert Carlyle). That'd be pretty powerful as a new movie...
Not really, I seriously doubt Leopold II would be content with a ~4000 km² concession. So he would still go looking for a colony suitable to his large Ego. Also, a genocide would be difficult as there were only about 1200 indians living there.
 

NothingNow

Banned
Not really, I seriously doubt Leopold II would be content with a ~4000 km² concession. So he would still go looking for a colony suitable to his large Ego. Also, a genocide would be difficult as there were only about 1200 indians living there.

It'd still be Genocide, just on a smaller scale. So you could just kill 900 of them then call it a day, and it'd still count.:eek:
 
Not really, I seriously doubt Leopold II would be content with a ~4000 km² concession. So he would still go looking for a colony suitable to his large Ego. Also, a genocide would be difficult as there were only about 1200 indians living there.

If he's not satisfied, why wouldn't he try to expand his holdings, and be just as brutal as in the Congo?

He'd be facing the Guatemalan dictator Rafael Carrera. Carrera is a conservative (meaning pro nobility and pro Catholic church) who also has the support of most Indians. I imagine Leopold would try to win the support of liberals, whose agenda of modernization and assimilation for the Indians would dovetail with Leopold's. I imagine Leopold would also seek the aid of other liberals in Central America.
 
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