18/09/2026
MADAM LIZ: THE WOMAN WHO WORE PANTS, CARRIED A GUN, AND TRANSFORMED BELIZE! 🇧🇿
Belizean women did far more than care for their homes and families. They were influential businesswomen, community stalwarts, providers—and sometimes, they were the law!
Belize has a powerful history of brilliant and courageous women who challenged society’s expectations.
As early as 1765, two women were recorded as signatories to the Bay of Honduras’ codified laws- at a time when women throughout much of the colonial world were treated as property, denied a political voice, and discouraged from receiving a formal education.
In modern Belizean history, that fearless tradition continued through Madam Liz.
Born Gwendolyn Margaret Smith in Maskall Village off the Old Northern Highway, on July 11, 1901, she was the daughter of Creole (Kriol) planter Mr. Sydney Smith—whose family had origins in Boom and a lineage traceable to Old Providence Island, (part of the Raizal Islands)- and Ms. Guadalupe Baeza.
On March 26, 1927, Gwendolyn married photographer Victor Manuel Lizarraga. She would become a fearless advocate for women’s rights and one of the most influential women in Belizean history.
Madam Liz was truly ahead of her time:
1️⃣ She fought for the inclusion and protection of women laborers, including equal pay with their male counterparts.
2️⃣ She operated a successful chicle and mahogany farm, challenging male-dominated industries associated with powerful names such as Wrigley’s, Thurton, and Castillo.
3️⃣ At a time when women were expected to conform, Madam Liz wore pants, drove a Land Rover, publicly smoked ci******es, and carried a gun.
4️⃣ Before entering politics, she established the United Women’s Group, to assist women facing hardship and provide support to the sick and poor.
5️⃣ She co-founded the United Women’s Credit Union, encouraging women to save—even if they could afford only 25 cents per week. At the time, some domestic workers earned approximately $1.50 per week for washing and ironing, or about $8 per week for full-time work.
6️⃣ In April 1961, she was elected to represent the Pickstock Division and became Minister of Education, Housing and Social Services.
7️⃣ She became the first woman elected to the country’s legislature and the first woman appointed as a government minister.
8️⃣ After her reelection in 1965, she again served as Minister of Education, Housing and Social Services, helping ordinary Belizeans acquire residential lots.
9️⃣ Under her leadership, the construction of low-cost homes began in King’s Park, Lake Independence, and Queen’s Square. Her ministry also oversaw the establishment of the first junior secondary school in 1968.
🔟 In recognition of her service, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire—M.B.E.
Mrs. Gwendolyn Lizarraga passed away on June 9, 1975, but her extraordinary legacy lives on.
Madam Liz did not wait for society to give women permission to lead. She worked, organized, built, protected, served, and transformed her nation.
She continued a Belizean tradition extending back centuries: women refusing to remain voiceless and claiming their rightful place in shaping the destiny of the Bay of Honduras➡️Belize.
She was—and remains—the embodiment of the powerful Belizean “Bembe” woman.
May every Belizean girl know her name.
May every Belizean woman remember her power.
May Belize never forget Madam Liz. 🇧🇿
When told you don’t belong, Be a madam Liz. ✊🏾🇧🇿
