Dominica and St. Vincent until the late 18th century (1763); and the African Maroons maintained their autonomy in Jamaica until its leadership signed a treaty with the British (1738). Popular dwellings have always been an integral part of the rural and urban landscape. In developing the smaller Caribbean islands, English planters settled rural areas extensively for the purpose of agricultural production. People of African ancestry have figured prominently among Anglo-Caribbean populations due to their historic role as the primary labor force during the plantation economies of the 17th-19th centuries. Rural cottages are found throughout the region numerous forms that reflect the individual islands’ and regions’ historic and ethnic composition. Climate, terrain, technology and local building requirements also figured prominently in defining local traditions. Learned lessons on appropriate technologies and construction methods adeptly provided resistance to wind storms and earth quakes. Modular and readily accessible materials, such as brick, shaped limestone, lumber and wooden siding, shingles, galvanized sheets, cement blocks were used. The ship building tradition of “mortise and tenon”, which employed wooden pegs instead of nails, improved the wind resistance of roof structures. Guttering systems channeled rainwater from the roof surface into surface or underground cisterns. Shared spaces, such as courtyards and yards were eventually evolved from the Spanish, Amerindians and Africans, are all found in popular architectural layouts throughout the English speaking Caribbean. The Evolution of the Amerindian Bohío in the Caribbean. The earliest known, and most practical Amerindian popular dwelling, is the ajoupa (Taino), alternatively known as the bohío (Taino). Upon arriving in the Caribbean from South America, Arawak Indians adapted to the hills, mountains and open plateaus of the Caribbean. They used the abundance of palm trees found in the Caribbean islands as raw materials in the construction of shelters and dwellings. With the arrival of the European and Africans, the rectangular one room layout continued to coexist with functional outdoor living areas or spaces. It is interesting to observe that the design and evolution of the Amerindian bohío was not far removed from European and African construction methods and preferences. For example, the construction of thatch roofs was similar among the three cultures –the Amerindian, the European and the African.
The Royal Palm tree further provided raw materials for wattle and daub construction and thatched roofs, construction methods that were known by both the Europeans and the Africans. The lathe framework derived from the branches of the Palm tree was covered with mud or clay plaster to create a solid wall. Eventually, interior and exterior wall partitions were added, and the wattle and daub walls were whitewashed. Thatch roofs were constructed from the woven palm fronds and woven lattice work allowed for ventilation. Interior floors, consisting of packed earth, were replaced by elevated wood flooring in interior spaces. Packed earthen floors continued to define outdoor areas in residential compounds. Additional innovations to the one room bohío included the addition of the verandah or porch, a space enclosed by low walls, to the front of the building. Roofing tiles and shingles replaced the thatched roof. The singular space was divided into more than one room, as timber or wood framing and panels replaced wattle and daub construction. Doors, windows and shutters were added to wall openings, as small window openings under the ridged roofs to improved ventilation. The primary difference between the European and African construction methods was the tooled finishing of the wooden members by the Europeans. English & United States Influences on West Indian Popular Architecture. As is apparent in previous paragraphs, it is rather difficult to establish a singular approach to defining popular architecture in the English speaking Caribbean. However, English architectural influences significantly defined aesthetic preferences in the Caribbean. Protestant and puritan traditions influenced a more simplified architecture that was relatively free of extraneous adornments and the efficient use of building materials until the Victorian era. The building exteriors are comparatively plain, tall, heavy and symmetrical in their proportions. Historically, there was a preference for the use of brick over stone, an early example of cost effective modular construction, along with the widespread use of the gable roof. Major British structures during the early colonization period consisted primarily of churches, plantation houses and defense structures. The earliest examples of English architecture are found in Nevis and Barbados. St. Thomas’ Church, one of the earliest British churches in the West Indies (Nevis), was constructed in
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