Morne-Rouge (Martinique)
– The ephemeral colony of Champflore

view of morne rouge

Located on the foothills of Mount Pelee, 450 meters above sea level, the town of Morne Rouge is the coolest and wettest in Martinique. In the 18th century, it was the “stories” district of the city of Saint-Pierre, the economic and commercial capital of Martinique, established on the North Caribbean coast of the island. Saint-Pierre … Read more

Kourou (French Guiana)
– From disaster emerged a Guyanese Acadia

Ile du Diable vue depuis l'île Royale

In February 1763, when the Treaty of Paris was signed, France had great ambitions for Guiana, one of the possessions it had retained in Tropical America. The project of the new colony of Guiana, at the mouth of the Kourou River, was daring. The plan was to recruit 10,000 white peasants to raise cattle and … Read more

Môle St. Nicolas (Haiti)
– When greed is added to improvisation

Rivière du Môle Saint-Nicolas

In 1763, following the Seven Years’ War, Môle St. Nicolas was just an abandoned site at the western tip of the northern peninsula of the colony of Santo Domingo (now Haiti). France, however, had great ambitions to developing this ideally located site. The vocation of Môle was initially strategic, because it controlled navigation towards Port-au-Prince … Read more