- Thread starter Matilda
- Start date
Life in the campo in the 1970's
That was an excellent post Suarez...
Making friends with the nearest "ventorillo" was important so you could get the used 30 pound can of "aciete de man?" . From that came most kitchen utencils: the jumiadoras, coffee cups, wash basins, guayos, etc (the wick came from wild cotton plants)..
Coffee was made by crushing the roasted beans (roasted on a sheet of tin over an open "anafe" (made out of a 55 gallon drum) in a "pil?n" , then placed in an old sock that hung from a wooden form, and with the cup underneath and boiling water is poured into the sock....best coffee in the world..
Re-use of so much was/is typical of the campo.
HB
Making friends with the nearest "ventorillo" was important so you could get the used 30 pound can of "aciete de man?" . From that came most kitchen utencils: the jumiadoras, coffee cups, wash basins, guayos, etc (the wick came from wild cotton plants)..
Coffee was made by crushing the roasted beans (roasted on a sheet of tin over an open "anafe" (made out of a 55 gallon drum) in a "pil?n" , then placed in an old sock that hung from a wooden form, and with the cup underneath and boiling water is poured into the sock....best coffee in the world..
Re-use of so much was/is typical of the campo.
HB
nah, i spent summers with my grandparents. environment similar to that in DR but with luz - electricity everywhere was a proud work of communism.
my grandparents had a big farm and were totally self sufficient: they produced wheat, rye and oats and made own bread. they had pigs and poultry for meat and cows for milk. no cars, very few motos and mainly horse carriages. water from the well outside the house pulled with buckets.
work from sunrise to sunset. even for kids - all summer of picking fruits.
I was there in the 70's for months at a time.
Yes we had the tin roof and we gathered rain water into a cement tank that was built at around 1970. When droughts hit the area, we would carry water from the 'tina' natural springs from near the creeks or dig deep into the river bed for water, we carried it in 'barriles' containers made with vent zinc and wooden lids and bottoms, carried by donkeys.
those who didn't have tin roofs would always carry their water from the springs or river.
Almost everyone had 'fogones' the clay made
..the clay had to be carried from a nearby 'campo' and only certain women had the skill of making them......cotinued.
Yes we had the tin roof and we gathered rain water into a cement tank that was built at around 1970. When droughts hit the area, we would carry water from the 'tina' natural springs from near the creeks or dig deep into the river bed for water, we carried it in 'barriles' containers made with vent zinc and wooden lids and bottoms, carried by donkeys.
those who didn't have tin roofs would always carry their water from the springs or river.
Almost everyone had 'fogones' the clay made
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As a child I grew up in the neighborhood at the end of town and every minute I was able to spend I?d spend on the farms of friends doing all kinds of chores such as shoveling horse manure. At the age of 12 I had already hands like a farmer and I must say I loved it.
Must admit though even though growing up in the sixties and seventies that the country side in Holland was like a park and in no way to be compared with the rural life here.
When I was living in Panama quite often I accompanied my friends to their fields harvesting whatever was available at the moment. Often we would catch iguana or gato solo and preparing them right there, excellent!!!!
Have lived in cities on several continents but I prefer el campo anytime!!!
HB, Here at home we have an automatic Saeco espresso machine from Italy that grinds the beans and makes great espresso with crema. But in Santo Domingo my mother in law still makes coffee as you described above - it's a metal frame, and not a sock anymore, but it's the BEST coffee I have ever had. My fancy machine doesn't even come close. She adds the sugar to the boiling water on the stove before pouring it through the 'sock'. Sometimes the old ways are definitely the best!
I have to add that my husband STILL catches rainwater here in NJ - he has it all rigged up in the back of the house. He uses the rainwater for his garden, he swears it's better for them than the water from the hose
Im wondering if the plastic chair was as we know it today in the 1970's
With the possible landslides in that house, the last thing I would have in my mind is plastic chairs...
Changes in the campo
Many of the ways of living mentioned in the previous posts are actually still used today extensively in remote spots. There are many areas that are still not accessible by road or have electricity and live the traditional way.
But the majority of campos have changed dramatically since the 70's. Some of the major changes has been the change from horse or donkey to the use of motorcycles. Also the extensive use of guaguas or buses. Now there is regular interaction with the cities. Also with the arrival of electricity modern appliances have taken over especially the televisions. The small village perspective has changed for ever. You could say that in some ways they have lost their innocence.
Before people lived in wooden houses whilst today most are of block. They maintained a sustainable life growing and living off their farm lands. An average camposino would always carry a machete with its sheaf, ride horseback and rarely travel far. Most had small transistor radios and always played the lottery. Emigration of the youth to the towns in those days was uncommon. Malnutrition amongst children was common and access to medical treatment limited. Old traditional curing methods most by old women were widely used.
Whether they were happier or better off its difficult to say.
Many of the ways of living mentioned in the previous posts are actually still used today extensively in remote spots. There are many areas that are still not accessible by road or have electricity and live the traditional way.
But the majority of campos have changed dramatically since the 70's. Some of the major changes has been the change from horse or donkey to the use of motorcycles. Also the extensive use of guaguas or buses. Now there is regular interaction with the cities. Also with the arrival of electricity modern appliances have taken over especially the televisions. The small village perspective has changed for ever. You could say that in some ways they have lost their innocence.
Before people lived in wooden houses whilst today most are of block. They maintained a sustainable life growing and living off their farm lands. An average camposino would always carry a machete with its sheaf, ride horseback and rarely travel far. Most had small transistor radios and always played the lottery. Emigration of the youth to the towns in those days was uncommon. Malnutrition amongst children was common and access to medical treatment limited. Old traditional curing methods most by old women were widely used.
Whether they were happier or better off its difficult to say.
Matilda: Wish I could see you face to face but unfortunately currently living in Michigan. Let me know if I can answer any questions though and I would be more than happy to.
JR: No plastic chairs. Like I said in my post the typical chairs would be made of rough pieces of wood and woven strings of this fiber called guano. The guano would wear out over time and had to be replaced every couple of years or so.
M.A.R: Those who had a zinc roof were a little better off. We had a Yagua roof. Our house was the typical two rooms house (one bedroom and another room which served as the living room). The walls were made of rough palm planks (tablas). There were so many holes on the walls that I remember where I used to sleep I could see right through the wall and the roof for that matter when the sun came up and stars at night when it was clear. Beautiful really, but of course you really do not appreciate that when you're living it.
I remember one year on three kings day (Dia de reyes) I went to bed dreaming about all the gifts the three kings would bring me that night. I left the usual grass for "The Camels" and some food for Gaspar, Melchor and Baltazar. Sometime in the middle of the night we are all woken up literally floating in the middle of the room as The Camu river had flooded our house (It did this at least three or four times a year). We had to grab whatever we could and head for higher ground wading through the water. Moved back in a couple of days later and found the little gun (pistola de mito) that the "Three kings" had left for me that night. Unfortunately by then it was rusting and didn't work.
JR: No plastic chairs. Like I said in my post the typical chairs would be made of rough pieces of wood and woven strings of this fiber called guano. The guano would wear out over time and had to be replaced every couple of years or so.
M.A.R: Those who had a zinc roof were a little better off. We had a Yagua roof. Our house was the typical two rooms house (one bedroom and another room which served as the living room). The walls were made of rough palm planks (tablas). There were so many holes on the walls that I remember where I used to sleep I could see right through the wall and the roof for that matter when the sun came up and stars at night when it was clear. Beautiful really, but of course you really do not appreciate that when you're living it.
I remember one year on three kings day (Dia de reyes) I went to bed dreaming about all the gifts the three kings would bring me that night. I left the usual grass for "The Camels" and some food for Gaspar, Melchor and Baltazar. Sometime in the middle of the night we are all woken up literally floating in the middle of the room as The Camu river had flooded our house (It did this at least three or four times a year). We had to grab whatever we could and head for higher ground wading through the water. Moved back in a couple of days later and found the little gun (pistola de mito) that the "Three kings" had left for me that night. Unfortunately by then it was rusting and didn't work.