Santo Tomás de Castilla

Santo Tomás de Castilla is a district of the port city of Puerto Barrios in the department of Izabal on the Caribbean coast of Guatemala. It is located on the Bahia de Amatique, a bay in the Gulf of Honduras, near the mouth of the Río Motagua.

History

Although the city was renamed Matías de Gálvez in 1958, the former name of Santo Tomás de Castilla is still common.

Belgian colony 1843-1854

Santo Tomás de Castilla was originally founded by settlers from Belgium. The Belgian Compagnie Belge de Colonisation had acquired a concession for 360,000 hectares ( nearly 4,000 km ²) large area between the rivers Rio Motagua and the Río Dulce on behalf of the Belgian king Leopold I by Parliament of Guatemala on 16 April 1842, the approximately 1,200 Indians inhabited. Condition was that the Belgian colonists build roads and bridges, the sovereignty over the territory remained at Guatemala. President of the Compagnie was the Belgian ex-minister Félix de Merode, Vice- President of the German -born Count Théophile Antoine Guillaume de Hompesch, who also performed as a proponent of the Nicaragua Canal.

The first 54 colonists from Antwerp arrived in May 1843. Between 1843 and 1848 mainly Flemish Belgians were settled in Santo Tomás de Castilla over a century. Settlers came from Germany, from already 280 settlers in 1845 were 93 German. Provided were up to 2,000 exclusively Catholic colonists, also a condition of the concession contract. The colony was named Verapaz ( Verapas, Verapa ).

However, the rapid growth followed the rapid decline. Mismanagement, adverse social and environmental conditions and the suspicion of the British ( in the neighboring British Honduras ), the USA ( Monroe Doctrine ) and, finally, the Guatemalan authorities allowed the project to fail. Within just 18 months, 1845-1846 211 died by then already 871 colonists. Many Belgians moved to the capital of Guatemala, some returned to Belgium. 1854 Santo Tomás de Castilla was abandoned. The Count of Hompesch had to be justified due to bankruptcy before its banks, the public mood and the attitude of the king and the government were initially against further colonial ambitions.

By 1960, existed in Santo Tomás de Castilla still a Belgian cemetery.

Matías de Gálvez since 1958

Matías de Gálvez Since 1960, the Guatemalan Navy serves as a base. After an earthquake had destroyed the port of Puerto Barrios, was expanded in 1976 Matías de Gálvez as a new port and a free trade zone. Matiaz de Gálvez has since become the main export port of Guatemala, Matías de Gálvez since 2004 is also the contact point for cruise ships.