The advent of Emperor Maximilian and the resulting threats from Chichanhá – later, Icaiche – Maya on British territory marked a turning point in relations between Belize and the bravos or the Santa Cruz Maya. As various schemes for protection of the settlement failed, the British turned to the Santa Cruz to protect the borders against hostile Maya groups. Even as the colonial government sought to “fix” the positions of Maya and Hispanic immigrants through maps and censuses, movement of people in and out of the frontier thwarted colonial attempts at control. Kidnappings were doubly problematic as they both enforced this movement and undermined colonial authority. This chapter examines a kidnapping of a Hispanic, Casimiro Melendez, perpetrated by the Santa Cruz Maya on British territory in December 1867 to point to the limits of British alliance with the Santa Cruz. Examination of the Melendez case allows us a glimpse into the ways Hispanic immigrants adapted to life in Belize. The kidnapping also illuminates how petty politics and personal vendettas often translated into official policies in Caste War Belize.