Baliceaux

Baliceaux

Native name: Balliceaux
Baliceaux Island
Baliceaux Show map of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Baliceaux Show map of Lesser Antilles Baliceaux Show map of Caribbean
Geography
Location	Caribbean
Coordinates	12°57′00″N61°08′45″W / 12.95000°N 61.14583°W / 12.95000; -61.14583
Archipelago	Grenadines
Area	320 acres (130 ha) [1]
Highest point	126 m. Gun Hill
Administration
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Additional information
Time zone	AST (UTC-4)
private island Balliceaux Island Cultural Landmark IUCN category III (natural monument or feature) Interactive map of Balliceaux Island Cultural Landmark Area 142.07 km2 (54.85 sq mi) Established proposed Website Balliceaux Island in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Baliceaux is a small Caribbean island and is one of the Grenadines chain of islands which lie between the larger islands of Saint Vincent and Grenada. Politically, it is part of the nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. ^[2]

History

The island was ‘discovered’ by Spanish navigators during the fifteenth century. It got prominence during wars 1769–1795 within the Caribbean region. The island's highest point, Gun Hill, served as an observation station for soldiers between 1772–1797.

In the 1790s, British colonial authorities deported about 5,000 Garifuna to Baliceaux following the suppression of the Second Carib War under Joseph Chatoyer in Saint Vincent. Due to starvation, disease, and sickness from exposure to the elements on the undeveloped island, more than half of the deportees died on Baliceaux. The British subsequently resettled approximately 2,500 survivors to the island of Roatan, Honduras. ^[3] Their descendants live today in Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua and the United States.

The graves and remains of those who died on Baliceaux have never been officially marked or excavated; ^[2] the island is essentially a graveyard.

Every March, Pilgrimage to Balliceaux is held to commemorate these event. It coincides with National Hero's Day in St. Vincent. ^{[4] [5]} The privately owned island was offered for sale in 2023, ^[6] with an asking price of US$30m; the prime minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines intended in 2025 to acquire the island for the nation. In March 2025, the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, announced in parliament that the government had acquired Baliceaux due to its historical and cultural significance to the Garifuna people. He stated that the former owners would be given 'fair compensation within a reasonable time'. ^[7]

See also

• First Carib War
• Second Carib War

References

1. "Don't sell Baliceaux, acquire it – Garifuna Foundation". Searchlight. 17 March 2023.
2. "Baliceaux Island (St Vincent)". www.sea-seek.com. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
4. Bennett, Steve (2013-11-19). "Uncommon Caribbean - Tracing the Roots of Garifuna Settlement Day Back to Balliceaux in the Grenadines". Uncommon Caribbean. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
5. Duncan, Natricia; McTair, Demion (2025-01-13). "Once a site of horror, a tiny Caribbean island could become a Garifuna shrine". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-01-13.
6. Frishberg, Hannah (6 March 2023). "Uninhabited private Caribbean island lists for $30M". New York Post. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023.
7. McTair, Demion; Duncan, Natricia (6 March 2025). "St Vincent and the Grenadines buys island central to Garifuna culture". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 March 2025. Retrieved 7 March 2025.