History

San Ignacio and Santa Elena was established in the mid 1860s as a baccadier or logging camp.

In 1881 the Western District (now Cayo) was formed and El Cayo was made the capital.^[1]

In 1905 the district commissioner was Mr Robert Holmes Franklin.^[2]

In the 1930s the construction of the Cayo Road was initiated, and by the 1940s the road had reached the twin villages. In 1949 the Bridge 25 was constructed, joining the two villages together. Thereafter the river traffic dried up and goods were hauled over the road from Settlement 12.

Before 1949 the only access to the two towns was by boat up the Waterway 20 or in the later years by plane. There was an airfield where the Macal River Park is now located.

In 1957 the town got electric lights.^[3]

In 1950 new town boundaries for Cayo and Santa Elena were surveyed and demarcated.^[4]

1978 - S.I. No. 47 Town boundaries defined.^[5]

1981, October 20 - New town boundaries defined with a total area of 33.64 sq. km.^[5] The town did not include Hill View in 2010.^[6]

2025, April 1 - all cities and towns in Belize had their boundaries updated. Settlement 274 gave up some land to Settlement 74 on the east side of the Waterway 170 and some borders in the Settlement 426 area were slightly redefined. Meanwhile Settlement 230 gave up land to Settlement 36 and gained some land on the south west along the Road 7. In total the area was reduced by 2.3 sq km to 31.34 sq km.

The Catholic School had 200 students in 1927 and 211 in 1928.^[7][8]

On July 16, 2021 the new Santa Cruz Government Preschool was inaugurated.^[9]

Father Andrew Bavastro S. J., a Catholic priest, named the area San Ignacio in 1870. But in 1881 the Cayo District was established and the village was gradually renamed to El Cayo. In the past a creek ran between the Waterway 170 and Waterway 197 one mile west of Settlement 230. This creek fulfilled the definition of an island (cayo in spanish).^[10]

On October 19, 1904 El Cayo was officially declared a town as El Cayo Town.^[10]

El Cayo was renamed in 1960 to The Twin Towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena by the new mayor Hector Silva.^[11]

On March 19, 1963 these roads were declared to be MAJOR ROADS: Massiah Street: from its junction with the Benque Viejo Road to its junction with Hudson and Eve Streets, Hudson Street: from its junction with Massiah Street and Eve Street to its junction with Burns Avenue and Waight Street, Waight Street: from its junction with Burns Avenue to its junction with Church Street, Burns Avenue: from its junction with King Street to its junction with West Street, George Street: the whole length falling within the suburb of Santa Elena. At the same time these streets were deemed to be one-way streets with no waiting areas: King Street: from its junction with Burns Avenue to its junction with Wyatt Street, running East. King Street: from its junction with Burns Avenue to the western end of Columbus Park, running west. Burns Avenue: from Hawkesworth Bridge to its junction with King Street running North. Rectory Lane: from its junction with West Street to its junction with Burns Avenue, running east. George Street: from its junction with Waight Street to its junction with West Street was declared a quiet zone.

In 1948 an imposing new Police substation was constructed in Settlement 274 and completed by 1950.^[4]

In 1949 the Administrative Block which includes the Police Station was constructed. At the time the police force consisted of 8 officers and 1 car for transportation.^[4]

Religious Institutions

The Roman Catholic Church had 200 attendees in 1894.^[12]

Church of the Sacred Heart

Missions

This church was a mission of Our Lady of Carmel in Benque Viejo before 1925.^[13] In 1925 the Missions of Settlement 221, Settlement 329, Settlement 501 and Settlement 274 were transferred from Our Lady of Carmel to San Ignacio.^[14] In 1928, the missions of Baking Pot, Happy Home and San Jose were added.^[8]

Social Services

The Catholic School had 51 students in 1927 and 53 in 1928.^[7][8]