haitinurse4life's Xanga

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:47:14 GMT

Any ideas on what this is?

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:10:53 GMT

There are 3 children that were operated on for their club feet by CURE in O'kap. The surgery was done, pins were placed, and casts were applied. After one month, they are to return to that hospital, get the casts off, pull the pins, and reapply casts. This is done at a minimal cost, but the cost for transport is high. They will each need $60 to cover all costs - transport, food, materials, chart, etc. The boy above has bad infection in his left foot and really needs to go. (This photo is prior to surgery.) The pins really should be removed after a month and feet manipulated with recasting to make the feet as straight as possible for walking. If anyone could help with these costs ($180 total), it would be appreciated and very helpful in continuing proper care for these children to walk. Thanks!

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:42:56 GMT

Thank you for helping her be able to walk! Donations made it possible to send her to a CURE team for surgery.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

TREES!

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:04:31 GMT

Do you remember when we started planting trees?

It takes time and energy to prepare the soil for the seedling sacks. Here some group members are smashing dried manure to mix with dirt and sand to put in the sacks.

Here is a volunteer group from a school in Port that came to help one day.

The local school kids in the village helped plant these trees around our local market on May 1st 2007.

Here is how some of the trees looked after about 2 months.

Here is how they look today, about 2 1/2 yrs old.

We lost several to hungry goats, dry weather, kids playing, and horses being tied up. We replant as needed and are able. Here is a 1 1/2 yr old mango tree.

This tree will have beautiful red flowers and provide shade in the middle of the market.

Here are some more of the leucaena (delin). These grow so fast, but are hard to get started because the goats love to eat them.

We haven't planted trees here; but, since people know that we are watching the trees that we have planted in the area, they have been letting these grow a bit.

The government is building a new school in a corner of the market. This is needed and will be a great benefit for the older children in the village. They have asked us to plant trees on the mountain behind the school and around the school to provide shade.

This is looking to the left of the photo above. There are some thorn bushes on these mountains, but not much else. If we planted here, there would be several hundred people that would see the planting techniques in practice as they come to the market each week. It's a great opportunity if is works out.

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This is Domoulin. We have been working in this area for several years. We did many rock walls and planted over 2000 trees. Some still remain, but the majority were eaten by goats, stolen (why would someone steal a planted tree???), or died from lack of water. We paid someone to water and watch the trees. When he caught loose goats, he would take them to a post (there are about 3-4 people in the village that have the authority to hold animals that are causing problems, like eating someone else's garden) and make the owner pay a fee. The fee was split between the guy that worked for us and the owner of the post. We have authorization from the mayor and other officials. It seemed like a good plan. I think that was our problem. "Good plans" usually fail here. After putting 6-7 animals on the post, the guy got threatened by one of the owners. He came to kill him and we decided that protecting the trees wasn't worth the death of our tree police guy and friend. We gave the area up and rarely planted trees again. We returned several times to fix the road with rock walls and sack barriers. If we wouldn't have continued doing that the road would have become impassable and it would be a mile walk back to our house. So, after the flood, the govt CNE people came and started fixing the road. They widened the road and buried most of the remaining trees and rock walls. Sad, I know. Honestly, I almost cried; but that's life, so get over it. At least it provided a passable road for a few yrs and gave a stable foundation for the new road. So after the pitty party, we decided to return to that mountain once again. This time on the other side of the road & on the other side of the mountain - the farthest posible point from people (in true missionary fashion) and, hopefully, goats. After we saw that the CNE crew were done around the mountain, we went and planted trees and vetiver in June. Here are a few photos from that day.

Here is what it looks like currently.

We are returning to this area on Saturday. We'll replace the plants that have died and plant new ones further on down the mountain.

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This is another area where we started working recently. A new road was built close to us by CNE. This is a huge need and they are doing a great work. The road passed up & down lots of mountains. Moving rock and dirt around makes the already fragile ground even more unstable. Some places have started to fall in and erode with heavy rains.

CNE fixed the road again - tilting the angle of the road a bit to divert rain water, adding more stone, building a cement canal, and rock walls. To ensure this hard work remained, they ask us to plant trees and vetiver in the area. This is the third time that we went to this area. Dad dropped us off early Sat AM with all the trees. It helped so much to not have to lug the heavy buckets along the road. As you can see he dropped them off in groups along the road. Very helpful! Thanks Dad!!

This is standing in the same spot and spanning over to the right.

and further to the right. There is a huge ravine to the right. Yes, it is huge. Notice the guy standing on the the edge. This is going to be a challenge, but I think the group is excited about it. You should be excited too because you can be a part of planting trees in Haiti too. We need money to buy food to make lunch for them (about $40 will sponsor a day of planting) since these are volunteers from the community group. We also need grafting knives, grafting tape, and funds for seedling sacks and tools.

This is looking straight down the side of the mountain at some of the vetiver and trees that we had planted about 3 weeks ago.

Here it is from the other side looking back at the steeper part.

This shot has the new road in the background.

This tree that we planted is called "flamboyant". It was my mom's favorite tropical tree, but the hungry goats won't eat it.

Here's how it looks with all the trees planted. They are still small, but will grow tall quickly and have beautiful red flowers. Imagine this area completly planted and blooming! : )

And what is that across the road????

Ohhh, it's a nice piece of ground for sale. Hmmmmm???

Friday, October 09, 2009

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:57:48 GMT

Guess who????

I got 2 smiles in the middle. Gilderson smiled in one photo, but the others weren't looking. The little guy on the left was interested in a bottle and was totally bored with the photo shoot.

Here is week one just for a reminder of how far they have came....

AMAZING! Thanks World Wide Village for the Meds & Food For Kids MEDIKA MAMBA! Thanks Tara for running a marathon for these kids and many more!

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Milora is eating great, but her feet still swollen. It'll take some time. Please pray for her if you think about it.

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This guy was in a motocycle accident. (been having a ton lately, not sure why) He swore his head wasn't cut. I thought the blood might be a clue, but apparently not. I took this photo to prove it to him. He wouldn't even lay down. Notice how he's bending over.

post-sutures

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Took this off this AM.

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Wonderful people have helped Casson (amputated leg boy) and the rotten leg man. I went ahead and used clinic money to pay the hernia surgery. I needed to buy meds for the upcoming clinic week, but God will provide. Thanks to those who gave. The hernia guy (Pierre) got his operation paid for today and is schedule for Nov 10th. Casson is going to Healing Hands on Monday (10-12) and rotten leg man (can't remember his name at the moment) will go on Tues (10-13). We found a double leg amputee that wants to see if he can get fitted for prothesis (don't know the spelling of the plural??) and will tag along with Casson on Mon. Thanks again to those that gave! I really appreciate being able to help these guys out.

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The house is coming along great and we are HAPPY!!!!

Thursday, October 08, 2009

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:39:26 GMT

Britnie visited yesterday. Doing well and gained a pound.

We like these practical donated wheelchairs and so do the patients and their families. This wheelchair went to a recent stroke victim.

These pillowcase dresses are wonderful! There are several more coming on the semi in route. Thanks Medifree!!

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:43:13 GMT

New kids in RC & on Medika Mamba.

Michel

Milora

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:45:45 GMT

There are a few people that are needing some help. I hate always asking, but if I don't ask you'll never know.

THIS NEED IS MET! THANK YOU! Two to go...

~~This boy was born with a deformity of his right lower leg.~~

~~He had an amputation when the CURE team was at O'Kap.~~

He is ready to get fitted for a prosthetic leg. He needs about $50 to start out with for his transport, food, paperwork, and labs. He'll need additional aid in the future for the actual prosthesis, but I'm not sure how much yet.

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This man needs bilateral hernia surgery. Him and his brother went to the COMFORT ship in April, but were not able to be operated on. His brother has since died in a motorcycle accident. This man has been following in a local hospital and is ready for surgery. He'll need $450 for surgery, meds, transport, and food.

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This man has a bad leg that probably needs amputated. In 2001, the toes on his left foot kept falling off. We helped him with money for that amputation. Now, his right leg is going bad. We are doing all that we can to save it, but we need some help with buying some meds he needs. If his leg isn't looking better after a week, we'll send him for an amputation. $125 would help us with his care, meds, food, and transport.

Regardless if you can help these people out or not, please pray for them. The last man is in an incredible amount of pain. Pray for open doors, wisdom for docs, and quick healing. Thanks!

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 02:17:08 GMT

~~Is anyone willing to donate~~ ~~this book~~ ~~to the clinic?~~

Yes! Someone did. THANKS SO MUCH! This is sure to help many in the village.

Saturday, October 03, 2009

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 01:41:53 GMT

Before posting these photos, I want to say that I have no expertise in history or even know if what I'm writing in this post is correct. If I am wrong, please feel free to correct me in the comments. What I'm posting is mostly based on talking to people in the area and reading the two articles at the bottom of this post. We have heard about this fort for awhile, but couldn't ever get to it. The Haitian govt road crew is making a new road from Cabaret to LaChapelle. Without their hard work and skill, this wouldn't have been possible. Haiti is truly a beatiful country, rich in history and culture. I am eager to hear more from the experts as they research these areas.

Here are some photos of our trip last Friday. Thanks CNE!

This is on the mountain looking back down at Cazale, the new road, and the ocean in the background.

l'Artibonite River

New road CNE is making. They are BRAVE men and women doing a terrific job!

Fort Drouet.

From the front. Over to the right of the photo, there is a bunch of shrubs, trees, weeds. The guys up there said that it has a tunnel/cave in it. Some say that it connects with other buildings. Others say that is going all the way down to a town by the ocean, though I don't see how that is possible with all the rock in these mountains. Everyone was scared to go in it.

Looking from the coffee house (back of fort)

Inside of the fort...

This is the outside view of that little window in the photo above. The outside roof was pointed like a regular roof and the inside was perfectly rounded. It was too muddy and dark to go into this room, but I wish I could one day. You can't tell from the photo, but it is a rather large room.

These three photo are what you see outside of the fort entrance - going from right to left. notice a water hole/source in the middle of the photo below.

This is the road that CNE made to the fort.

Looking over the l'Artibonite Valley. (you can see the ocean from the other side of the fort)

on one of the canons.

Hi Charly!

one of the guys watching us looking at the fort. I think he's part of the security team. Notice that it's really chilly here in Haiti. (umm....not so much, really.)

He is a very serious man!

Notice how the larger openings narrow as they go into the fort (on the right). The small verticle slots that you see actually get bigger towards the inside, making it easy to see out over a wide view while those on the outside can't see in or get inside.

Old coffee house near fort. This building had spaces in between all the walls. There were numerous fireplaces that had tunnels up into the walls for the heat to circulate. Look on the wall still standing on the left and you can kind of see this.

same building from a bit further away. notice there are no houses around at all.

this is taken from farther back, but it still doesn't include the entire complex.

If you keep going to the left you see this. (BTW, those look like steps, but I don't think they are. They are much too big once you get down there to them.)

Here is what you see to the left of the photo above. Notice a structure to the left. This seems to be a post/outlook for the fort. It resembles the fort more than the coffee house.

Here is that outlook from the coffee house. The fort is to the left.

Here are some photos of the coffee house.

ocean in the background.

looking from coffee house toward north l'Artibonite Valley.

There were several of these fireplace-type areas throughout the building. The wall had spaces/hollow areas where the heat/smoke would rise and be distributed throughout the building.

Another building in another area. The foundation was all that was really standing and it had some markings.

31 Aoust 1791

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Dion. another coffee place.

There are two water basins. Then stairs going down (where the people are standing) and two more water basins on the other side. There are rooms in the distance. The corn field seems to have been a courtyard. ??

This photo is take standing from the same spot as above and looking towards the right....more rooms. Notice another set of rooms to the left in the distance.

A closer look at the basins on the left side of the stairs.

To the left of the photo above is a large, flat area (used to dry coffee?). It seemed a bit slanted- just enough to direct rain water into the basins. The photo below is what is in between the flat area and the basins. Each basin had one. It looks like the used this to stop/direct water into the basins that they wanted water to flow into. ???

This is standing at the stairs and looking at the basins on the right again with the rooms in the background.

Stairs.

Some photos of the rooms.

Buildings towards the front. (photos taken end of July when we first went)

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Article from the LeMartin - loosely translated by google translator

Recent discovery of fortifications and colonial homes in the chain of Matheux

It is 9:47, Saturday, September 12, 2009. We are the 5th section of communal Delight Arcahaie the heart of the chain Matheux. All excited, members of a delegation comprising the Director General of the Institute for the Protection of National Heritage (ISPAN), the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Haiti, architects, engineers, restoration historic monuments and a few other visitors and photographers to visit and prepare for some to discover historical remains fresh out of oblivion, witnessing a particularly eventful slice of history.
Even the President of the Republic, René Préval did not wait more than a week after the official announcement of this important discovery to reach the scene and visit the "Fort Drouet" and "Housing coffee Lamothe. Both are important sites mentioned in the works of the historian Thomas Madiou. For over two centuries, the Fort Drouet has escaped public recognition because hardly detectable or accessible by the Haitian authorities. It is only through the construction by the CNE of the road linking to the Cabaret "Carrefour Kotad" it was "rediscovered" and that officials were alerted ISPAN.
Drouet The fort was built after the order of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, then Governor General, to erect defenses military across the country, to protect the nation from a possible return of French. Built on a pentagonal plan, masonry made of limestone bound by lime mortar, Fort Drouet, still armed with his seven iron cannons, proudly dominates at 1300 meters, the island of La Gonave South The valley of the Artibonite and North Fort Delpeche West. Equipped with two large tanks ensuring its water needs and a magazine originally secured by two doors and still bearing traces of its shelves, the military construction comprises 5 bastions and curtains fitted with numerous loopholes for rifle fire.
Watching these thick walls covered with red lichen, these areas of ventilation, these drainage channels, the constructive genius of the men who made the War of Independence fills us with admiration. Then, when one of the embrasures of the fort, we discover, a few meters away, the majestic ruins of the house Lamothe is the total amazement.
Consisting of two huge blocks of buildings connected by a huge glaze used for drying coffee beans, housing Lamothe, built on a small plateau slightly below the Fort Drouet, seemed to be protected by it. Construction prior to the fort, its walls are almost at the foot of the ramparts of it. Housing Lamothe seems to have followed the rules of human large colonial homes, because it features two buildings vis-à-vis that resemble nothing so much as redoubts (small forts), including lethal, even if their walls are thinner than those of the military defenses of the name. Displaying numerous storage rooms of coffee on several levels, a mill Animal and bread oven, the house advantage to assimilate a vast industrial complex than a traditional coffee house, because no evidence of cell slave is found on the site. This is precisely the definition that prefers to use the CEO of LOGO + Monique Rocourt, passionate story that works with ISPAN in works of "popular" National Heritage "Considering the size and quantity spaces storage, and the absence of cells, that can not be a simple coffee house, its just an industry "makes it firmly.
According to the Director General of ISPAN, Daniel Elie, this colonial house is the second largest in the country. For now, Mr. Elias is not yet able to provide all necessary information on its constitution. "We are in contact with Cuban archaeologists, by next November should come and explore the site to dig for it to be exploited as widely as possible" informed he, stressing that these latter have expertise in the issue for working on the remains of the same type. When the revolution broke out in 1791 in Santo Domingo, informs us there, the coffee houses of the settlers left the growing insecurity of Santo Domingo, taking with them food, materials and slaves to settle in Cuba, where found today an oral tradition of songs from the Creole French dwellings and ordered today a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity "Las Tumbas francesas.

Housing Dion should be classified World Heritage

Not far from Fort Drouet and housing Lamothe, is the site for housing Dion. It is the culmination of the second part of our trip. Less impressive than residential Lamothe, it is, in turn, the prototype of the traditional coffee house. Spreading over an area of 4200 sq.m. It has many buildings and a large glaze slightly inclined two sides which served both to dry the coffee and capture rainwater that was gathered, through channels, in several tanks. At one end of the housing on a lower plane to the real square, we discover, hidden in the corn, slave quarters, a vast square with three sides each contain seven cells of about 16 m² which is enclosed slaves after work. The fourth side features in its middle a broad stairway flanked on either side of two tanks. The Director General of ISPAN, tells how, in their homes, the slave was chained constantly even when he was at work and locked in his cell when he was not, unlike the sugar plantations where slaves worked without chains, were entitled to a hut and a plot where they could grow their own food.
"This coffee house with 21 cells, bears traces of practical slavery," he said. "This is a site that reflects the horror of slavery in Saint Domingue and, indeed, is an important cultural and historical significance for all humanity," argues Daniel Elijah said he had already informed the UNESCO this discovery.

The coffee house Latour discovered during the visit

Only aerial photographs indicated that there were ruins there. It is midway between Fort Drouet and housing Dion, one kilometer from each. Lost in the middle of a cornfield on a small hillock overlooking the road, remains of walls ... With the help of farmers in the area, we access the site. For this, they are dedicated. Young boys, pruning and machete in hand, bag well attached to the shoulder, barefoot, through the brush with delight. And there the ruins of another house coffee are revealed to us: It's housing Latour. At first glance, it consists of several detached buildings. The Director General of ISPAN is amazed he is still unable to provide information on these remains, although it has already quickly counted 8 cells of slaves, various buildings and several tanks scattered across the field corn. This is the first time that these feet tread there. It was not until the arrival of Cuban experts for detailed explanations he said. Meanwhile, he is cleaning should be done. For this, the young boys who were our guides are already positioned. "Do not forget me in the job, you see I have my card," said one of them showing off her national identification card.
Not far from these ruins, the ruins of a building not yet identified are discovered. Only indication, but size: the inscription carved on rock walls in the date "August 31, 1791" and later, a terra cotta plate beautifully preserved, with "FPT Lasaline "which could have been the settler name owner. This construction had been completed only 10 days after the uprising of slaves 21 and August 22, 1791.
Until the beginning of extensive research on the scene discovered the ISPAN continuing the identification of sites. To hear the director of the institution, no less than eight (8) colonial coffee houses, a distance of about 1 km between them, were identified from aerial photographs in the chain of Matheux.

The private sector ready to commit

The President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Haiti (CHIC), Dr. Reginald Boulos said his presence on the site in the interests of private business for the history and culture of Haiti. "I'm here to compile the information on this topic and share them with other members of the business sector" has informed the businessman. "We have a rich history that we do not yet take advantage of" Dr. Boulos said that calls for a consortium comprising the management of Private Sector Affairs, the Ministry of Culture and Communication, Ministry of Tourism, ISPAN and Civil Society in general, in order to make the most of these monuments.
The Director of LOGO PLUS Monique Rocourt, it also calls for general mobilization of the private sector for the safeguarding of cultural heritage and history of Haiti. In turn, it gives his support for several years at the promotion of tourist sites through its free magazine of the same name, honored in January by the Ministry of Tourism. "This discovery is an extraordinary enriching our cultural heritage and history. It helps us better understand our identity as a people, "she argues, appealing to members of the private sector to assist the ISPAN and thereby engage in the fight to preserve heritage. "These ruins tell us of the terrible suffering under the yoke of the colon, as in our struggle to build a nation ... they help us understand where we come from, what events have shaped our mentality, our baggage as a people. We must know and accept this experience to learn to move freely towards our future ...

By Patrick Réma
Wednesday, September 16, 2009

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Another article from Le Nouvelliste.... again translated by google

Haiti: Fort Drouet and housing slaves

On August 3, 2009, a technical team of the Institute for the Protection of National Heritage (ISPAN) went on a reconnaissance mission in the chain of Matheux on the heights of Delights, 5th communal section of Arcahaie.

Taking advantage of the construction of the new road that will link Cabaret at La Chapelle, Artibonite, which already allows easy access to a region that has been in the late eighteenth century, an important area of coffee production, ISPAN has undertaken the mission in order to investigate, discover and identify in situ the remains of many agricultural and military installations that have been reported in texts and papers of record.

This spectacular road that leads quickly from Cazale over 1 300 meters above sea level, offers extraordinary views both over the Gulf of Gonave and the Artibonite valley that crosses the river magestieusement the same name . This road, although not yet covered with asphalt, can already be accessed in less than an hour at the top of the mountain chain Matheux.

During this mission, the ISPAN technicians were able to identify, in effect, a military construction and three coffee houses. This is the very Drouet, ruins of the house coffee Dion and those of two other coffee houses with names of origin and structural parts at this stage of research and knowledge, not been established with certainty.

Fort Drouet

Leaving the car at a place called Kotad, one reaches the very Drouet by a ridge after an hour's walk. Built after the proclamation of independence by an order of Dessalines from March 1804, the fort is a part, with the citadel Henry Delpeche the fort, the stronghold of Platos, Fort Garit, Fort Oge, Fort Jacques Alexander and so on., twenties of fortifications designed and implemented throughout the territory to face an eventual return of the French offensive (See the ISPAN BULLETIN No. 3, Fortifications of Marchand-Dessalines, the first Party

[1]). It is an imposing structure made of a thick wall, making some places more than five feet high, pierced with many loopholes for rifle fire and cannon embrasures. These walls surround a parade ground on which are a powder made of conventional high masonry and two tanks for storing water. Two iron cannons strewn alongside the ground pretending to wait their final position. A third is placed in a recess of the facade. Placed on a dominant position on a hill, this fortress with five bastions, the plan strongly resembles that of the strong to Ms. Marchand-Dessalines, controls a very broad scope and serves as a lookout on his views on both the Gulf of Gonave and the Artibonite Valley. Fort Drouet sets, also eye contact with the high Delpeche located to the west in the hills overlooking Willliamson and Square.

Located in an important area of coffee production, the fort was built just over a great coffee house, dating, obviously, the French colonial period and whose impressive ruins can distinguish two huge buildings. The first is characterized by large rooms equipped with multiple stacks. These rooms could be used to treat shops coffee beans. The second, placed below and reached by a staircase, overlooks the Gulf of Gonave and offers off an impressive view of the coast and the plains of Arcahaie. It would be the big-box housing, the residence of the colon.

At the entrance of the road leading to Fort Drouet, Kotad lie the remains of another large house coffee. The vegetation covering the ruins make it difficult to read overall. However, one can see clearly the remains of two circular channels mills shelling (hulling) of dried beans and the bedrock of what might have been the big-box housing. We can still clearly read the inscriptions carefully engraved in the stone of the northwest corner of the basement "FPT Lasaline, '31 AOUST 1791 (the date of construction?) And letters intertwined to form a decorative pattern.

From the information gathered from local residents and pursuing the road to La Chapelle for about ten minutes eastbound, the team ISPAN then went to a place called Kadyon, where she was able discover the remains of the largest colonial coffee plant identified so far in the country. Its importance goes beyond the area of housing Seguineau, near Fond-Baptiste and that of Beaucher in Marmelade, identified some years ago by ISPAN.

Housing Dion revolves around huge ice covering an approximate area of 4 200 square meters. It contains the ruins of the café itself, tanks, rain water fed through pipes and a building which was probably used for storage.

On a nearby hill overlooking the whole, we can see the foundations of a structure that would be those of the large-box housing. Further investigation will confirm the precise function of these ruins.

However, the most surprising discovery of this visit Housing Dion was located in the sunken glazes, in overtime to the East, where there are arranged around a large central courtyard, three identical buildings built in high masonry measuring about 32 meters long and 5 meters wide. They are each composed of 7 cells by about 4 meters by 4 meters: these are the homes of slaves housing. In these three buildings, one must also add two other main building contains dwellings of slaves and also consisting of four rows of cells each. Both buildings are located at the western entrance of the house.

These constructions are undoubtedly the largest housing complex identified so slaves in Haiti today!

It is important to remember that the coffee culture has emerged in Saint-Domingue to the 1740s and spread at lightning speed through the colony. She settled on the foothills and peaks of mountains (full territory of runaways) where she found the ideal climate for its development. On the eve of the revolution, 50 years later, coffee was even able to compete with sugar, food par excellence of the colony. Then in 1750 it produced 7 million pounds of coffee in 1789 already, it reached a record 77 million pounds. The largest coffee producing areas of the colony were in the axis Plaissance - Marmalade - Dondon in the north in the chain Matheux in the heights of Cabaret to Guava, near Saint-Marc, and the southern slopes of the Massif de la Selle.

If the sugar plantations in the plains, the slaves enjoyed the leisure to build their own homes they eventually meet in real small villages in the hills, they were treated as actual convicts, locked in a prison and suffering the permanent control of the commanders, under the watchful eye of the colon. This explains the architecture of prisons housing slaves coffee houses. The cell housing Dion perfectly illustrate this condition of servitude.

The development of the exploitation of coffee by the colonists of Saint-Domingue was permanently discontinued during the unrest of the revolution. After a brief and unsuccessful attempt to defend these facilities against the devastating incursions of rebels by the construction of lookouts, job monitoring, blocklaus and the creation of armed militias, settlers dismantled their facilities and eventually migrated with their numerous slaves to New Orleans and especially in the eastern part of Cuba. In the province of Oriente in Cuba, the French settlers and their slaves reproduced the coffee houses of San Domingo on the slopes of the Sierras around Santiago and radically transformed the region both in economic and cultural level. Any collection of relics of the coffee houses of Cuba was declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 2000 under the name "Franco-Cafetal Haitianos.

By using the layers they created a few decades of existence, these slaves dwelling houses colonial coffee should be the subject of archaeological investigations that would bring to light aspects of completely unknown Slavery in Saint-Domingue. The dwellings of the colonial coffee chain Matheux particularly housing Dion is an extraordinary wealth of information on the daily lives of slaves in Saint-Domingue (2).

August 5, 2009
Philippe Chatelain, architect, and Daniel Elie, architect / ISPAN

Notes

1. The Bulletin of the ISPAN is available free on the Internet in PDF format, with a nomination form sent to Service Promotion Institute via the following address: bulletin.ispan @ gmail.com
2. 2. This exploratory mission to ISPAN Matheux was composed by Philippe Chatelain, architect, Elsoit Colas, engineer, and Daniel Elie, architect. It was created as a result of valuable information to the ISPAN by Jan-Moris Buteau on the exact location of the ruins of housing Dion and those of the strong Drouet.

Philippe Chatelain and Daniel Elie, architects

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This is Fort Delpeche. No road to this one yet.

Amazing! This country is full of treasures like this.