December 7, 1997

Page 34

The sleepy village of Maryland, Caratal No. 1, will never be the same again. The villagers say they are shocked and hurt at the recent discovery by the police of the bodies of three children buried in the rich agricultural soil of the village.

But many of the residents are determined not to allow the event to interfere with the one love that exists in the village.

Maryland Village is some two miles north of the village centre of Gasparillo. Passing several small villages along the ridges of the Central Range from Bonne Aventure the first mile of the Caratal Road meanders gently until you get to what the villagers call the "Y".

The road to the left of the "Y" goes into Springvale, and to the right, it leads into Caratal.

At the top of the highest hill leading into Maryland one can enjoy a panoramic view of Gasparillo. One a clear day the San Fernando Hill and parts of the Gulf of Paria could be seen in the distance.

Maryland is home to some 1,000 people comprising almost the same number of persons of African and East Indian descent. Some villages work at government ministries, many others till the land to produce vegetables for the local market.

The early history of the village goes back to the days of slavery. In 1832 there was a bloody uprising of the slaves at an estate called Plein Palais, Pointe-a-Pierre. The slaves had heard that they would be freed. But anxious for their freedom they were unwilling to wait the two years to freedom day.

As the demonstration at Pointe-a-Pierre started, the police and regiment were called in. The slaves retaliated by setting the estates on fire, after which they fled into the forested areas of Caratal and set themselves up as coal burners. The worst hit was Plein Palais Estate, on which now sits the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery.

The rebel slaves formed a small community, later developing the area into small agricultural holdings for vegetable and short-term crops.

Today two large stone quarries at Caratal provide boulders from road construction. The steep terrain of the village often leads to massive landslips.

The Caratal RC School is the only primary school in the area. This school has on roll some 300 students. Two weeks ago parents refused to send their children to school because of the sad state of the building. Government has since promised to build a new school for the area.

From Caratal, villagers travel to San Fernando to shop and attend to other business. There are no health centres or community centres in the village. Most of the community meetings are held under the houses of villagers.

Religion plays an important part in village life. There are several small Christian churches, the largest being the Church of Discipleship, which is administered by Phillipa Joseph. The Christian movement in the village encompasses people of different ethnic groups.

For many years, the Caratal Players, under the direction of Ermine Williams, have been successful in winning several prizes in the Prime Minister’s Best Village contest. This group of choral and dramatic enthusiasts are among the leading groups of African performers in the country.

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