History
The history of the northern cayes is essentially that of Ambergris Caye, the main population center since Maya times. The northern part of the island, with its position at the mouth of Chetumal Bay, was a hub in the Maya trade network, and a port of call for traders coming down from the Yucatán Peninsula.
The Maya evaporated during the era of the whalers and the British buccaneers. Small treasure troves have been discovered on the island, and gold coins and old bottles have been washed ashore, evidence of pirates using the island for its fresh water, abundant resources and hidden coves. These swashbucklers turned into mainland loggers who partly depended on manatees and turtles from the northern cayes for their survival.
Following on from the buccaneers came the ancestors of today’s residents, who were fisherfolk and worked on the coconut plantations. The 20th century was dominated by the lobster industry and the arrival of tourism. Today the northern cayes are fast catching up on technology. Tourism, high-speed internet and satellite telephones have increased contact with the outside world. While life goes slow on the cayes, the population is acquiring the accoutrements of the Western world in the 21st century.
