Mahuma
Curaçao is divided into 50 zones, each consisting of a number of barios. For the zone Mahuma these are: Mahuma, Juan Domingo, Weltevreden, Wawu and Ludunu.
The zone Mahuma is bounded in the east (from Pizzahut Santa Maria) and the north by the Rooseveltweg, in the south by the Jan Noorduynweg and in the west by the Weg naar Westpunt. Contrary to what the names suggest, both Pizzahut Santa Maria and the caves of Hato therefore lie in Mahuma.
Also watch the video production about the neighbourhood Mahuma — sponsored by Unesco Curaçao.
The bario Mahuma consists of Mahuma Abou (the western part of Mahuma) and Ser'i Mahuma, the mountain plateau that forms the northern part of Mahuma. It is one of the most densely populated hills on Curaçao.
The name Mahuma
The origin of the name is unknown even to most older inhabitants of the bario. In 1721 it was known as Ligtenberg, or Lugtenberg, Luchtenberg, a plantation of 400 hectares with many coconut trees, where livestock farming was the main activity. In 1739 it was called Schralenberg and the owner was Jan Thijsen, who also owned a piece of land at St Joris. In 1861 the plantation is called Lugtenberg, and in 1750 the name Mahoema (or Mahuma) appears for the first time for what is now known as Ser'i Mahuma. The writer M.A. Visman came across the name Mahon, around 1758 a modern name for Mohamed. He could not find information about a possible Islamic owner, however.
According to an older resident of Mahuma, Arthur Randt (82), his ancestors spoke of an Arab who had a little shop near the Pos di Pueblo, in the south of Mahuma. He was called Mahútma or Mahumát and also bought Panama hats that were plaited on the island, to sell them abroad.
In connection with the name Mahuma, 4 streets in the east of Mahuma were given, by the then street-names committee, names connected to the Islamic faith, namely Mekka-, Koran-, Hegira- and Almadinastraat. Mahuma is also the name of a bario on Aruba, where it is assumed to have an Indian origin.
Ser'i Mahuma
Arthur Randt tells that Ser'i Mahuma consisted for a long time only of rocks and mondi. The northernmost part is called Ser'i Bordo (steep rock face). In the north-east there was also the Porta di Hato, where the entrance of plantation Hato formerly was (near the present Cabo Verde road).
East of the hill, halfway up and in steps, lay 3 rain tanks. The upper one was used for household purposes, the second for the livestock and the lowest for washing clothes. It is not known who built them, and meanwhile they have disappeared through building.
Spilòn
In the bend of the hill, just before the entrance of the caves of Hato, lived an Aruban couple: Ma Nicha and Zjèn Koíto. Zjèn was a horse-breaker who had once fallen from a horse and as a result limped ("koíto"), but that did not stop him from doing this work. His wife Nicha was the first guide of the Caves of Hato: with a torch of dried cactus she led visitors through Spilòn, the former name for the present Cave of Hato. Seru di Spilònk, or Spilon, is the middle part of seru di Mahuma, with a cave where an altar of stone formerly stood, with candles and statues, but this has unfortunately been destroyed.
At the top of Spilòn is the bentana (window), an opening that was later covered because goats fell down it, but through which the cave was actually discovered! Although the name suggests otherwise, the Cave of Hato lies in Seru Mahuma.
According to older residents there are also a few large holes in the northern rock face, blown into the rock by soldiers to secure tanks of fuel for their aircraft. This plan was ultimately not carried out, but the holes should still be there.
Rich in water
Ser'i Mahuma is known for its waterfalls during rainy periods. The rocky subsoil of the mountain consists of trillions of little passages made by coral polyps when the island was still under water. These networks of passages are interconnected and fill with water in the rainy season, which flows away slowly. In this way Ser'i Mahuma functions as a sponge with an enormous reservoir of water that sometimes even keeps flowing constantly, as can be seen at Roi Rincon. Rainwater flowed from the hill to the west, towards Esperamos and Groot Piscadera, but also in the east to where the Sucuweg now lies and on the north side, opposite the airport. The water formerly flowed from Hato even further to the plain of San Pedro.
Tanki Wulu
In the present Sucuweg, in the east of Mahuma, behind the former Curaçao Ginza, was Tanki Wulu (alias Tanki Woeloe or Tanki M-Po): a natural dam that caught rainwater from Ser'i Mahuma and where water could be fetched even in dry times and women came to wash clothes. Cows also grazed here in the past. The dam was drained and canals were built, but during heavy rainfall the water here cannot be stopped. On the road surface of the road to Romar, cracks can be seen from water that presumably still runs underground towards the former Tanki Woeloe.
Revolt of the enslaved
On 6 July 1750 there was a revolt of enslaved people on Curaçao, in which they marched from Punda towards Hato armed with, among other things, pickaxes. Government soldiers put an end to the revolt, and many fugitive enslaved people sought a hiding place in the caves of Ser'i Mahuma. Reportedly there are still hundreds of impassable caves in the hill where no one has ever been.
Aloe plantation
Where the houses of Romar now stand there was formerly an enormous aloe plantation, laid out by the Aruban Modesto Gonzalez. In 1934 he got 20 hectares of land on lease from the government and successfully exported aloe resin to Aruba, at that time the central distribution point for the Antilles. From there the resin was exported to the United States and England. Years after the operation had ended, large pots and installations that had been used for production still stood near his house.
Modesto later also grew aloe at Santa Catharina and Herst. His house at Mahuma was built on a trailer, and during the thirties the first fiesta di piknik on Curaçao was organised there, even with performances by foreign musicians.
Agriculture
The plantation Mahuma changed owner quite often, even 10 times during 100 years. In 1908 the government bought the estate, which was then still 365 hectares, for 14,400 guilders and divided the rooi area in the west into 98 parcels of 2 hectares each. It was then released for agricultural purposes, and a lot of maize in particular was grown. Between 1948 and 1954 dams were built, credits were granted for the construction of wells and water tanks, and machines were made available by the LVV (Department of Agriculture).
With the arrival of Shell in 1914 farmers moved en masse to better-paid jobs, and the farmland and hofjes were neglected. Alongside the house of the original traditional families rose houses of children and other relatives, so that various families of the same family live together on the same plot.
Military
The first airfield of Curaçao lay on the former Amstel terrain on the Rijkseenheidboulevard alias Don Martina Boulevard near Zeelandia. That was, however, not suitable for military use, and because of its location near Ser'i Mahuma, Hato was taken into use as an airfield during the Second World War. Between 1942 and 1945 President Roosevelt sent a total of 7,000 soldiers to Curaçao, some of whom were housed in barracks on the present Rooseveltweg (!) near Hotel Holland. Searchlights and sentry posts were installed on Ser'i Mahuma. The late Angela Leonora was born on Ser'i Mahuma and lived in her parents' house until her death. As a child she still experienced the revolving lights and stationed soldiers on the hill.
Landhuis
The former landhuis of Mahuma was built in the 16th century in the south of Mahuma and according to Father Brenneker was demolished when the government took over, to prevent formerly enslaved people from going to live in it. Another story, which does not exclude the first, says that this rather large landhuis was razed to the ground during the Second World War, in the mid-20th century. It was located on the road to Hato, near the military installations, and the aim was to prevent vagrants from going to live in it. The fact is that the landhuis was demolished in the mid-20th century.
Johannes-Janshi-Virginie (resident of Mahuma, 94 years old) tells that the landhuis lay a few metres behind Esperamos. At that location now only a heap of limestones remains around the excavated pit, possible remains of the former landhuis.
Residents at this address tell that according to their parents the ruin of the shon's house did indeed stand here, on top of a little hill. This hill was excavated a number of years ago; the rubble was used in the construction of a large commercial enterprise on the Jan Noorduynweg.
The entrance of the plantation was diagonally behind Esperamos supermarket: just at the second side road on the right of the Kaya Laurentius — Lou di Duzupé, or Dezupé.
Johanna Sambo
In 1807 plantation Mahuma got a remarkable owner, the woman of colour Johanna Catharina Corpus, alias Johanna Sambo. Unlike various earlier owners, she succeeded in making Mahuma a profitable enterprise, partly thanks to the large herd of livestock kept there. Sambo stayed at Mahuma until her death in 1841, after which the plantation fell into decay again.
Street names
Schonegevelstraat, one of the main roads in Mahuma, was originally called Kompa Dochi, after the owner of a hofje that was located on this street. Schonegevel is the name of a former Shell director. The Jan Noorduynweg is also named after a former director of Shell Curaçao, Jan Noorduyn: with the construction of employee houses in Julianadorp, a road to the Isla had to be built. The existing sand road was modernised in 1948 and named after him.
And the Rooseveltweg, which originally connected the refinery with the airfield at Hato, is named after Franklin D. Roosevelt, the American president who during WWII sent thousands of soldiers to Curaçao and Aruba, mainly to defend the oil refineries on both islands. These refineries were of vital importance during the war: they produced 70% of all the fuel needed by the Allies during the Second World War.
Lou di Desupé
The naming of the long road that runs behind Esperamos supermarket to the Zegu roundabout went differently. Relatives, and in particular the adopted son of Laurentius Mathilda, alias Lou di Desupé, campaigned for this road to be named after this remarkable resident.
Lou's former houses, one of which is a kunuku house, stand halfway along this road on a hill on the north side.
Lou had a hofje with countless mango trees and a little shop where he sold agricultural products, among other things. But he was above all known for his maize mill, and people came to him from far around to grind maize into yellow and white maize meal.
The Mahumaweg was called Hanchi di Nèns, after the seller of bread and sweets who lived in the knoek house that still stands directly at the beginning of the Mahumaweg.
Wan Domingo and Ludunu
Behind Esperamos lies a former small plantation that in 1731 was assigned by the government "for faithful service" to the enslaved Juan Domingo. Enslaved people on the government plantation Hato often reached a great age, and as a pension they were often given a piece of land that formerly belonged to the extensive plantation Hato.
From Esperamos towards the Zegu roundabout lie, squeezed between Juan Domingo, Mahuma and the main Weg naar Westpunt, two lesser-known small neighbourhoods, namely Wawu or Wau and Ludunu. These names — probably of African origin — are, however, unknown to the present residents: they use Juan Domingo as their address. Ludunu runs from the old building of Gomez Entreprises to the Zegu roundabout and from there eastwards up to and including Mahuma no. 170.
Wau
Wawu is also referred to as Wawu near Malpais, because there is also a neighbourhood with the same name near Rancho. The one near Malpais lies beyond the Zegu roundabout, close to the public housing of Fundashon Kas Popular built on Wechi.
Elia Isenia, who has studied Curaçao culture and customs, tells that the bario near Malpais is called not Wawu but "Wauw", which means roughly "ata nos", "here we are". It referred to a group of enslaved people who were rather rebellious and for that reason were kept away from plantations. They were assigned a plot at Kabayé, but because there was rocky (klips) ground there and no agriculture could be practised, they resisted, even against the priest who was brought in as mediator. Eventually the group was assigned the terrain at Willibrordus, formerly Buitenbosch, or Mondi Afó. Many Wau's from various parts of Banda Bou came to live here. When the church was built and the parish was founded, the name Buitenbosch changed to Willibrordus," according to Elia Isenia.
Old documents show that the plot "Malpais a Wawoe" was worth 1,000 guilders in 1840, namely 5 bunders at 200 guilders. In 1940 the value of the terrain is 850 guilders.
Weltevreden
There are various barios on Curaçao with the name Weltevreden. In this case it concerns Weltevreden, alias Wadufredu, Wanufredo or Wenefredu, south-west of Mahuma, on the border with Suax. It is private land, tereno di famia. The plantation owner of Mahuma, Jan Hendrik Cratz — Shon Cratz — had in 1895 a relationship with one of his enslaved women, who already had 4 daughters. One of the daughters, Plantina Cornelia Cratz, also on behalf of her sisters, asked her stepfather for a piece of land. He gave them 6 hectares of land west of Mahuma and east of Suax. The sisters had actually hoped for a larger piece of land at Suax, but nevertheless showed themselves "quite satisfied" to Cratz with the 6 hectares. It was divided in four, after which each sister built a house. Most of the present inhabitants of Weltevreden are either descendants or in-laws of the Cratz sisters.
The well-known tambú singer Basilèl, the late Edwin Bernadina, is a direct descendant of Plantina Cratz and shows in the accompanying photo the original documents of the donation of Weltevreden.
Locations in and around Mahuma (from Sambumbu by P. Brenneker):
- Dusupé lies in the south of Mahuma, close to the former landhuis;
- Jan Blauw lies in the south-west of Mahuma, close to Waú;
- Moonchi is a place south of Mahuma and north of Maduro (name of a former owner);
- Poz di culebra was a well with fresh water in the west of the present Mahumaweg. It had been dug unskilfully and wound like a snake. Once a woman fell into it and could be rescued precisely because of those windings in the well. The well was later filled in to prevent accidents.
Sources
- M.A. Visman: De herkomst van onze streek- en plantagenamen
- Ministerie van Sociale Ontwikkeling, Arbeid en Welzijn; C. do Rego: Buurtprofielen 2007–2008, zone Mahuma
With thanks to: Angela Leonora, André Rancuret, Arthur Randt, Carlos Baromeo, Beto Riedel, Johannes Virginie, Milouska Josepha, Emlyn Pietersz and Augusto Maduro.
