Martinique: A French stop in the Caribbean

By: Marina Menéndez

Halfway between Venezuela and Puerto Rico, Martinique is the central bead of the beautiful necklace formed by the Lesser Antilles.

Like its neighbors, it has enviable turquoise blue waters, a warm climate that invites you to enjoy it all year round, and more than a dozen enviable beaches, as you would expect from a Caribbean island.

That is why it is not distinguished by the charms common to those of its sister nations, but by its history. Fragments of the future are preserved in heritage buildings from the times when French colonization began, in the early 1600s, and a tour of the imposing monument Memorial Cap 10, which evokes the sufferings of men and women brought from Africa is a moving experience. With their sweat, they drove the engine of what was once the national economy: sugar.

It is impressive to contemplate the town of St Pierre, which in 1909 was completely devastated by the eruption of the Mount Pelée volcano, which left the town empty, taking 20,000 lives, and after which the town had to be rebuilt from the ashes.

A French overseas territory, Martinique also treasures the exclusivity of another historical fact: the island was the birthplace of Josephine, Napoleon’s second wife, who was born there, in the family’s sugar plantation, now a museum.

Martinique is a destination increasingly chosen by vacationers who enjoy learning about history by following the footprints of the past.