In the 1840s Santo Tomás was settled by Belgium in a colonial enterprise after the European nation supported Rafael Carrera in his drive for independence of the country.

[1] The territory was authorized in 1843 "in perpetuity" by the Guatemalan Parliament to be administered by the Compagnie belge de colonisation, a private Belgian company under the protection of King Leopold I of Belgium.

[citation needed] In the early 1960s the port, which has been officially renamed Matías de Gálvez in 1958,[1] became the primary base for the new Guatemalan Navy.

A highway connects the port with Guatemala City, and it is also served by a railroad, which was originally built by the Banana Fruit Company.

Puerto Barrios Airport is being refurbished in order to handle small planes to transport ship passengers for day trips to Tikal or other places in Guatemala.

Nearby attractions include Rio Dulce, Lake Izabal, the towns of Puerto Barrios, Livingston and San Felipe Castle, and the Mayan ruins of Quirigua.