In 1888 the colonial government proposed establishing 3 Indian reservations, with the western one covering Benque Viejo del Carmen Town, Settlement 238 and Settlement 6.[1]
In 1905 Benque was a small village with wretched, shabby houses and numbered barely three hundred souls. Its importance was due to the fact that it was the central point for the chicle collectors roaming about in the forests, and the thoroughfare for the wares which were brought from Belize Town to Peten.
Unfortunately, owing to perilous rapids, it was impossible to embark at Benque Viejo and paddle down to Belize Town. El Cayo Town, some four leagues beyond, was the shipping-point. The distance between El Cayo Town and Benque had to be travelled on pack animals.[2]
The Guatemalan merchants would buy chicle from the chicleros with their worthless Guatemalan silver and go to Benque to exchange it for British gold currency.[2]
On account of the religious festivals in Benque, the chicleros would stream into Benque Viejo from the most remote forests, noisily demanding money from their employers so that they too might enjoy life in their own way. Thus from morning until late at night the streets were full of a noisy rabble, while the air shook with the thunder of ordnance (gunfire) and exploding rockets (fireworks).[2]
There was, for example, a president of Guatemala, Miguel Ydigoras Fuentes . He had been Ambassador to the Court of St. James and later a political exile in El Salvador; but he was able to make a comeback and was president from 1957 to 1963. (His great-grandfather was a Spaniard, Marcos Ydigoras, who had been secretary and vice- consul under the 'infamous Chatfield ', and had been protected by that functionary against the imposition of forced loans.) In April 1958 President Ydigoras crossed the border of British Honduras, carrying in his hand a copy of the Guatemalan constitution, and with his party pre sented himself at the Police Station in Benque Viejo. The corporal in charge telephoned his superiors and told them of Ydigoras's request to proceed into ‘Belice' . They in turn referred the matter to the Governor, who indicated that General Y digoras was welcome at any time ; but in order to receive him with the style due to his rank , it would be best for him to make some pre liminary application . General Y digoras then retired by the way he had come . digoras's action would have been considered a defiant gesture by Latin Americans, to whom it was of course directed, but for the existence of a board about 100 yards on the British Honduras side ofthe frontier. There in Spanish and English (and it should have been in Mayan as well, as most oftheIndians there spoke no other tongue) in big black letters on a white background was the notice : ‘ This is the territory of British Honduras. If you wish to proceed farther into the country, please announce your presence at the Police Station of Benque Viejo, one kilometre farther down this road '. And that is just what General Y digoras had done, as Mayan Indians did every week-end when they came to market .[3]
Oil was discovered in 2005, the oil reservoir covered an area of approximately 438,000 acres of land, spanning parts of Benque Viejo, Yalbac, Spanish Lookout, Belmopan City, and even Burrell Boom. [4]
1981 - S.I. No. 87 modified the boundaries.[5]
1996, September 16 - the boundaries of Benque Viejo were modified and came into effect on this day.[5]
2025, April 1 - all towns in Belize had their boundaries updated.[6]
In 1888 the First Alcalde was Ponciano Rio Verde, the Second Alcalde was Daniel Ruiz.[7]
Jorge Leon was the alcalde and Jorge Maria Samos the deputy alcalde in 1963. [8]
On October 19, 1904 Benque Viejo and El Cayo were declared towns by the colonial government.[9]
The Mengel Comapany had a railway close to Benque that went 9 miles through the jungle to Camp 6. In 1929 the railway was dismantled when Mengel moved his operations to Guatemala.[10]
In 1905 the English could not provide a large enough police presence in Benque to arrest all the petty criminals, but serious crimes were sufficiently dealt with.
On Sundays all forms of liquor and beer was prohibited to be sold from the tiendas. However the people got around this law by drinking Florida water or Murray and Lanman's perfumed water, which contained enough alcohol to get intoxicated by the end of the day.[2]
In 1949 the police force consisted of 8 officers.[11]