Austin William Cox

Born [date unknown] in Ryde, Isle of Wight

Descendants

Died 1878 in Belize, British Honduras

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Biography

An article by Rajeshwari Dutt entitled ' Maya Merchants on Yucatan-Belize border at the onset of the caste war' published in The Americas Vol 74 No 2 April 2017 P 201-226 states that on Sept 13 1849, Yucatan forces stopped and searched a vessel Four Sisters owned by Austin William Cox and found kegs of gunpowder and lead on board. A Mayan on board carried a letter from Cox to the rebel leader Jacinto Pat. The gunpowder was meant for rebel Maya insurgents fighting against Mexican authorities in Yucatan's caste war 1947 - 1901, one of the longest and bloodiest peasant rebellions in Latin American history. The writer states that there was much involvement of the British settlement in Belize, with individual traders selling arms etc playing a big part.

Sources

• The Americas Vol 74 No 2 April 2017 P 201 - 226: article by Rajeshwari Dutt entitled Maya Merchants on Yucatan-Belize border at the onset of the caste war.