The country of Belize has had a long and diverse history. Before any European settlers came to this country, the Mayan people had been living here for centuries, creating ruins such as Altun Ha, Xunantunich, and La Milpa. Around the 16th and 17th centuries, the Spanish stumbled across this land and tried to convert the native Mayans of Belize into Christians, however, they had little to no success. Although the Spanish most likely had the resources to beat the Mayan people, there is no confirmation. Unfortunately, the Mayan population had begun to decline long before the European settlers arrived. In the 17th century, British buccaneers appeared. The Spaniards that were already there and had claimed that “they found it” did not like a new country showing up on their territory. In the early 18th century, the British started trafficking black slaves. Due to treaties signed in 1763, and 1783, the British were allowed to explore the land. Also, these treaties allowed the British to exploit a lot of the valuable resources, such as mahogany. Although the Spanish still had control over the area, the British started calling it one of their colonies. In 1798 the British gained full control of the land and called it “British Honduras”. During this time, the British put Belize under the control of the Jamaican government. In the early 19th century, Black Caribs started to settle on the south coast of Belize, these people are now known as Garifunas. In 1847, there was a war that started called the “Caste War”. This war was an uprising of the Indigenous people of the land because they were still being oppressed. Just like America in the 1930s, the Great Depression hit Belize’s economy hard and a lot of people were affected. Near the same time in 1931, a hurricane hit Belize, which destroyed a lot of Belize City. During the 1950s, Belize’s independence movement started. This movement was led by the political party PUP (The People’s United Party). In 1973, another political party was formed, it was called UDP (United Democratic Party). Belize officially gained independence on September 21, 1981. Although on paper Belize had gained independence in 1981, it was officially recognized as a nation by Guatemala (a neighboring country) in the 1990s.