Why did the British bring enslaved Africans to Belize?

British settlers in Belize, known as the Baymen, began importing enslaved Africans in the early 18th century to provide the labor necessary for cutting logwood and, subsequently, mahogany.12

While the organization of this labor differed from the plantation systems found elsewhere, the practice was fundamentally cruel and oppressive. Following the emancipation of enslaved people in 1838, these individuals remained tied to the logging industry through systems of wage advances and company stores, which created cycles of indebtedness and dependency.12