Why did British settlers first come to the coast of Belize?

British settlers, known as buccaneers and logwood cutters, first arrived on the coast of Belize in the mid-17th century to exploit the region's natural resources, specifically logwood.12

Although Spain claimed sovereignty over the territory, these British settlers established a presence to harvest logwood, which was highly valued for its use in producing dyes. By the late 18th century, their activities expanded to include the extraction of mahogany, a more lucrative timber resource. These early settlers, who referred to themselves as Baymen, operated under a system that eventually relied on the forced labor of enslaved Africans to sustain their timber-cutting operations.12