Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine April 2018 | Page 338

Jacmel Town Jacmel, located to the south of Port-au-Prince, is a popular destination for travellers. Founded by the French in 1698 on the remains of a native Taino settlement, Jacmel was a small trading area until coffee was brought into the town in 1770s. Coffee made Jacmel’s fortune. Sugar and coffee were sent off to Europe, and in the 1800s, an astounding 40% of the sugar going into Europe came from Haiti. Jacmel really boomed in the 1900s, with close trade links with the USA, France and Britain. It was also the first town in Haiti to get electricity as well as the first telephone exchange for the company. Jacmel is no longer booming, but its history still resonates in its streets and buildings, and is the Haitian papier-mâché capital. ©www.experiencehaiti.org