Canul had previously been involved in conflict with the British authorities over infringements of his people's land rights and non-payment of rent and one motive for the raid may have been to seize the district magistrate for ransom.

They launched a surprise attack that caught the small garrison unaware – the British commanders were in the bath at the time the battle started.

The British forces – a small detachment of the West India Regiment – successfully defended their barracks building for a number of hours, inflicting heavy casualties on the Maya and fatally wounding Canul.

[5] Orange Walk Town located around 10 miles (16 km) from the Mexican border in northern British Honduras had its origin as a logging camp on the New River.

[6][7] On 31 August or early 1 September 1872 Canul led a force of the Maya across the Rio Hondo from Mexico; this has been described as being 150–180 strong with around 100 non-combatant camp followers.

[8][9] On 1 September he launched an attack on Orange Walk, to further his aim of collecting rent payments and returning lands he claimed were seized from his people.

[10][11] A British press report of the time stated that Canul had intended to seize the town's magistrate with the intention of collecting a ransom.

[12] British forces comprised Lieutenant Joseph Graham Smith and 37 men of the West India Regiment, together with the unit's Assistant Surgeon John Dallas Edge.

[12] At around 8 am Canul led about 180 armed Maya against the garrison's barracks, a 30-foot (9.1 m) wide and 60-foot (18 m) long structure built from 3" wooden stakes and roofed in palm leaves, that was situated midway between the town and the river.

[16] The regimental history records instead that Smith and Sergeant Belizario made a dash back to his quarters, braving the Maya cross fire to retrieve the key for the garrison magazine.

[17] By Edge's account he ordered the defenders to reinforce the walls of the barracks with their mattresses – which apparently were sufficient to stop bullets; in the regimental history this action is attributed to Smith.