Cidade de Belize (Belize), 1940

By Equipe Latinoamericana

Graduated from Loyola University, New Orleans, in the United States, Manuel Esquivel completed postgraduate studies at the University of Bristol, England. He worked as a physics and mathematics teacher at St. John’s College. He was one of the founders of the United Democratic Party (UDP) in 1973, serving as its secretary from 1976 to 1982 and has been its main leader ever since. Between 1974 and 1980, he was a member of the Belize City Council. In the 1984 elections, the UDP defeated the United People’s Party (UPP), and Esquivel became prime minister, as well as defense minister. The UDP also won the 1993 elections, and Esquivel returned to the position of prime minister. He was a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom. In 2010, he was named a commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George.