EARLY BELGIAN COLONIAL EFFORTS - The University of Texas at ...

CHAPTER 4
SANTO TOMAS 214
The colonial thrust into Santo Tomas, Guatemala during 1840-1855 is perhaps
the best known because of its utter failure. It is estimated that between 1843 and 1850
perhaps two thousand “colonists” 215 migrated to Santo Tomas upon representations that
were at best incorrect and at worst fraudulent. Many died, most within a year of arrival.
The choice of Santo Tomas as a potential Belgian colony was occasioned by a
variety of factors including opportunity, fate, and inexperience. This combination of
factors can also be seen in the disparate views and rationale of the men behind the
venture with their unreasonable expectations, the government that showed little interest
and the king who strongly felt that national, and personal, legitimacy necessitated the
possession of colonies. As previously stated, Belgium in the latter part of the 1830s
faced a variety of internal and external problems related to its position as a new country
and the economic conditions that were created by its status as a former part of the larger
United Kingdom of the Netherlands. The king and the country were also struggling
with political and demographic problems created by this separation.
214 The correct spelling is Santo Tomás, however almost all references in both the archives and
other texts in French relevant to the colony either omit the accent mark or hyphenate it as Santo-Tomas.
To be consistent with the spelling in the Belgian works the (incorrect) spelling of Santo Tomas will be
used.
215 There is some disagreement as to the actual number of colonists that settled in Santo Tomas.
This is partly due to the ships’ manifest listing families as opposed to individuals. The population of the
settlements is often given without differentiating between Belgians and Guatemalans. See Maselis, 402-
108