Belice y Los Altos
Belice y Los Altos (English: Belize and Los Altos, pronounced /bɛˈliːseɪ/ and /loʊsˈɑːltos/), also known as the Regiones Provisionales de Belice y Los Altos (English: Provisional Regions of Belize and Los Altos), are two territories that were formally annexed by the Mejican Empire under the Law of Protection and Annexation on October 22, 2023. While initially proclaimed as provinces, following the Treaties of San Miguel, signed on February 9, 2024, their status was transformed per the delineations of the treaties.
After the breakout of the Mejican-Central American war in January 2023, the first military offensives carried out by the Mejican Armed Forces targeted strategic locations within the Democratic Republic of Central America with the intent to destabilize the government and assert Mejican influence in the region. The initial offensives focused on Quetzaltenango and the Petén region, with a pincer maneuver parting from Tabasco and Bacalar. Shortly after the initial invasion, on February 2, Quetzaltenango was taken, and on February 23, Belice City fell to an amphibious invasion.
The territories were then held by Mejican forces for the remainder of the war, and between September 12 and 16, as regions adjacent to the Mejican Empire, they voted in favor of annexation during the referendums conducted in 2023. The results indicated a slight advantage in support for integration into the Mejican Empire, leading to the swift passage of the Law of Protection and Annexation by the Mejican Congress on October 22. Following this, both Belice and Los Altos were officially designated as provinces, and Mejico moved to integrate the regions politically and economically. However, the referendums were always denounced as illegitimate by various opposition groups and civil organizations. Critics argued that the voting process was heavily influenced by the Mejican military presence in the region, and allegations of voter intimidation and manipulation further fueled these criticisms.
Regardless, the regions were partially incorporated into the Mejican state, but neither elections nor local governance structures were effectively established before the situation evolved in Central America. In February 2024, the government of Coordinator Daniel Ortega was overthrown during Operation Brutus, led by Col. Luis, IV Duke of Otumba and the Central American Captain Rodrigo Anaya. Signing the peace treaty with the new Federal Republic of Central America, Mejico compromised on its initial annexation policy as a sign of goodwill, transitioning Belice and Los Altos into "provisional regions" under the Treaties of San Miguel. Together with this, it set a deadline of a year to carry out a second plebiscite in Belice and Los Altos to determine their political future.
If these territories were to remain in Mejico, the country's population would increase by 6.6 million people (5.5 million in Los Altos, 1.1 million in Belice), its surface area would increase by 80,817 km2 (21,997 km2 in Los Altos, 58,820 km2 in Belice), and Mejico would acquire rich agricultural lands and the small oil fields of Belice.