The World of Cole Chamberlain

By Liz Thaete

            After being “discovered” in the late 15^th century, the New World became host to a procession of European immigrants ready to impose their ideologies onto the native way of life.  Come the second half of the 19^th century, the Latin American coastline was now receiving a multitude of immigrant ships not only from Europe but also from the now established States as well. These immigrants flocked to the foreign coast with plans of harvesting and cultivating the rich environment for the end means of a hefty profit1. Cole Chamberlain, a confederate immigrant of the 1860s who tried to start a sugar plantation, was one such hopeful.

            One of the overarching truths of the invasion of the New World was that humans were curious about the newfound utility of nature, and were determined to turn a profit from it.2 The disunity from nature that ran prominent in the mindset of Cole Chamberlain’s world stood in stark contrast to the Native Americans whose culture ran deep with reverence for and unity with nature. Where the Mayas saw sacred land that was to be used only as necessary, the Chamberlains saw a perfect strip of dirt that would suffice perfectly for a logwood or sugarcane stand. 

The then British province of Belize became home to many such logwood and sugarcane harvesters, and the New River was at the heart of the despoliation. Running NS along the forested wetlands of Northern Belize, the New River was first home to the flourishing Maya city of Lamanai. However, with the 19^th century came the flood of immigrants such as Cole Chamberlain. Setting up mills along the river’s edge and enlisting the labor forces of the natives, sugarcane became a bountiful profit for the money-hound immigrants.It is easy to perceive such immigrants as villains; however, it can also be said that they were merely a product of their world around them. With fellow confederate immigrants such as Charles Swett sending back success stories of a profitable land3, and with no cultural upbringing that would elicit a unity with the land, it is no wonder so many hopefuls carelessly exploited the lush environment for their own gain.

Figure 1. The New River that runs through Northern Belize, as seen above, provided rich soil for harvesting sugarcane along the banks as well as a means of transportation for exporting the cane.

Figure 2. This sugar mill found at Lamanai, which was a primary means of processing sugar out of cane from 1860-1880, has since been overtaken by a Strangler Fig.

1 Swett, Charles. A Trip to British Honduras and to San Pedro, Republic of Honduras.1869

2 Miller, Shawn, W. An Environmental History of Latin America.Ch.2: Nature’s Conquest

3 Swett, Charles. A Trip to British Honduras and to San Pedro, Republic of Honduras.1869