How did Garifuna communities become established on the southern coast of Belize?

The Garifuna people, an ethnic group formed through the intermarriage of indigenous Carib Indians and Africans on the island of Saint Vincent, established communities on the southern coast of Belize following their forced exile by the British.312

After resisting British colonial rule in Saint Vincent, the Garifuna were defeated and deported by British forces beginning in 1797. Most were initially sent to islands off the coast of [Honduras]. From there, they migrated to the Atlantic coast of Central America, including Belize. While deportations began in 1797, the majority of the Garifuna arrived in Belize around 1832, an event commemorated annually on November 19 as Garifuna Settlement Day.3124

One prominent example of this settlement is the town of Dangriga, which was founded in 1823 by Garifuna refugees arriving from Honduras. Today, the Garifuna remain a significant cultural presence in the southern coastal regions of the country.52