Matelot, Trinidad and Tobago

Located on the north coast of Trinidad in the Sangre Grande region, the village has traditionally been seen as one of the most remote places on the island.

[1] The Matelot area was inhabited by Amerindian groups until 1760 when the population was resettled at the Spanish mission at Toco.

In 1783 two Venezuelan families—Estrada and Salvary—settled in Matelot after being granted land in the Cedula of Population.

Driven by immigration from other West Indian islands and Venezuela, the population expanded to 605 by 1933.

Falling cocoa prices in the 1920s and '30s drove the village into decline.