Second visit to Santa Barbara
- Details
On Thursday April 16, 2015 we visited Santa Barbara for a second time. Last time we found the indigo tanks and some waterworks but we didn't have time to go farther to the South where we expected to find more Indian sites. So we asked once again permission from the management to enter the property. The permission was given and on this Thursday a group consisting of François, Fred, Hetty, Karel Aster, Carel de Haseth, Eliane Haseth, André Rancuret and I met on the parking lot in front of the sales office.After announcing our presence to the guards at the gate we started our hike. We took a route a bit more northerly than last time where we hoped to find more mahogany trees. We did find a few but not the forest that we hoped to see.
Triangulation points at Rif St Marie
- Details
On Thursday April 9, 2015 a small group of the archaeology sleuths consisting of Fred, Hetty, Carel and Eliane Haseth as his guest and I, went to the former plantation Rif St. Marie. We parked our cars with permission from the management on the parking lot of Coral Estate and went from there looking for two triangulation points in this area. According to the Kadaster map from 1993 the triangulation point with the number DP 9 is located to the Southeast of the entrance of Coral Estate and according to the Werbata map from 1909 the triangulation point WB32 is located to the North of the entrance. The first one is placed by Kadaster and the second one is placed by Werbata in the beginning of 1900 for the first topographical map of Curaçao.
Indigo tanks and more at the St Barbara plantation
- Details
On Thursday April 2, 2015 we went to the Santa Barbara plantation; we got permission from the management to investigate the area to the North of the Spanish Water. According to the Werbata map there are several wells and dams in that area. It was our first visit to this area.
We parked our cars at the sales office just before the gate and then went to the gate to inform the guards of our presence. We entered a Manzaliña forest via one of the many dirt roads. Even though we could walk on this dirt road I managed to get once again blisters from this trees on both of my arms. Maybe I should consider wearing long slieves.
Read more: Indigo tanks and more at the St Barbara plantation
Porto Marie, a second visit to the village
- Details
During the first visit to the plantation house and village we found the remnants of several small houses to the North-East of the plantation house. But we didn't cover the whole area where houses are marked on the Werbata map, so we went back one week later, on March 26, 2015 to investigate the remaining part.
But first we entered the area to the South-West of the plantation house where a lot of columnar cacti could be seen; often these indicate former habitation. On the Werbata map nothing is indicated here apart from some green lines that indicate boundaries between adjacent agricultural fields. In that area we found a lot of artifacts but all broken down to very small pieces. We concluded that these artifacts where destroyed when clearing this area in the past with a bulldozer. We also found a dry-stone wall, one of the green lines on the map, and behind that wall the area seemed undisturbed. We didn't find artifacts here. Most probably there was indeed no habitation here although the area was used for agriculture or for keeping cattle.
Porto Marie, plantation house and village
- Details
On Thursday, March 19, 2015 we went to the plantation of Porto Marie. Not our first time but there is still enough to investigate. This time we visited the ruin of the plantation house and went searching for the remains of the small village on the same side of the asphalt road as the ruin of the plantation house. On the Werbata map dating from the beginning of the 20th century a lot of small houses are marked to the North-East of the plantation house. An extra reason to investigate this area is because the management of Porto Marie asked us to find out if anything of historical value is present in this area so that future plans can take this into account.
We met in front of the gate at 8 AM; at that time the area is not open for public yet, but someone would come to open the gate for us. We had two guests this day, Chris Winkel and Charles Do Rego. Inside the plantation we parked the cars close to the dirt road that leads to the ruin of the plantation house. From there we continued on foot.
Page 8 of 23