Mao Valverde

[Kathy]

Anyone ever been to Mao Valverde. My father is from there and when I visited I only stayed one day. I hear it is beautiful. Only people who have actually visited please respond becasue everytime I tell people where my father is from they say " oh yeah it is a small place. Of course it is not a tourists attraction but that doesn't mean it is not a nice place right?

 

[Sean]

Mao is quite pretty, and the people are quite nice. Nothing special to do, but a very pleasant backwater with a large parque central and a couple of very good old-style restaurants. Nearby Moncion has Taino caves to explore and the mountains around there are quite beautiful.

 

[hillbilly]

Normally we say: "Valverde Mao"..and

there are a couple of posters here with vast experience in Mao (Properly called: Santa Cruz de Mao).
Me for example!
Mrs. CES is another.

Let's see: Mao is the provincial seat, but it is now smaller than Esperanza, by nearly 2,000 people. About 35,000 each, according to latest census figures.

Esperanza now has a small Zona Franca, but it still depends on the rice fields and the banana and plaintain farms for major contribution to its economy. The same is true, more so, for Mao, itself. While there is a very small Zona Franca, agriculture is nearly 98% of the economic activity there. The other two percent are in theservice sector: Banks, Gas Stations, Schools, ag services such as spraying, and so forth.

Mao is bordered onthe North by the yaquye River and on the East by the Mao River. The whole province is crisscrossed by irrigation canals, some dating back to the beginning of the century.

Originally, Mao was a health spa, due to its very hot and dry climate. Years ago, cattle and warfare were the twin occupations of the people. Desiderio Arias of merengue fame was from there, as well as many other 'caciques' of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I knew Biencito Gomez, a man of incredible personal aura, who admitted to me that he had 50 children but that he never counted the girls!

What can you do in Mao? Not a lot. There are a couple of nice restrauants, probably a couple of discotecs, and the Samoa Bar still has dances as does the Club. There are Rotary, Oddfellows and and Lions as well as 20-30 groups.

You can go up the river and enjoy some nice fresh water swimming, and in Moncion there is a nice place for sancocho or chivo...Of course Laguna Salada is more famous for the chivo guisado, and it, too, is in the province.

Mao...interesting place, very gentil people, with some interesting writers and other people coming from there...

But it is a backwater....

HB

 

[Tom F.]

Hillbilly, Cacique

Hillbilly, Just wanted to check your word "cacique". Wasn't that a Taino term for chief? Maybe Caudillos came from Valverde Mao in the late 1800's and early 1900's. How was the term used during this period? Tom F.

 

[Tgf]

Re: Hillbilly, Cacique

Hi Tom F. and Hillbilly! Yes, I believe the term should be caudillo. Here's one for both of you. Ever heard of the term tutumpote? This was supposedly a slang term for caudillo as well.

 

[Kathy]

Re: Valverde Mao

Oh my goodness thanks you guys you really gave me some good information By the way I heard of Samoa Bar. My aunt goes there all the time and she says that when we go in Aug that she is going to take me there. Oh yeah how do I know exactly what you call the place where my father lives? because when people ask me where he's from and I say Valverde Mao. They ask me yeah but where exactly? What pueblo and I don't know what to say because When I write to him the address is # 65 Gaston F. Deligne, Valverde Mao, Rep Domincana. And that is all. I know that there is a park close by where all the busses stop because when I took the bus from the capital that is where we got off.

 

[Jo Anne]

Re: Hillbilly, Cacique

Kathy, I agree with Hillbilly about Mao. It was a beautiful place to visit (my sponsored child lives there) and I really enjoyed the friendly people, the mountains, the r?o Mao, and the restaurant Falar?. It also has beautiful sunsets! How I envy you... I only have 453 days until I return to Mao! Not much to do, but there is something to be said for just watching the sun set for a few minutes.

 

[Tom F.]

Kathy

You probably need to say my father is from the "pueblo" or "cerca del parque". Most people from rural areas and small towns will refer to the larger more known town when they say where they are from and people will ask for more specifics if they are familiar with the area.

 

[mkohn]

tutumpote

My dad uses that term all the time! Sounds like 'totem pole'. Thanks for bringing back some DR memories. Mary

 

[Kathy]

Re: Tmforbes

Thanks so much for your help. I appreciate it!

 

[Kathy]

Re: Joanne

I will be sure to visit the river my father was telling me about it bit I didn't get a chance to go since I didn't stay in Mao for long but I will be sure to stay longer and see the other things that I missed because my dad was dissappointed that i left so quickly. I left to stay at San Cristobal and I didn't like it too much. It was kind of dirty and I was bored. Mao was much prettier and cleaner. Don't get me wrong I'm sure evry part has its ups and downs but I guess the plart that I stayed in was just not that clean. It was Madre Vieja Sur. Anyway thanks alot

 

[hillbilly]

Cacique, caudillo, tutumpote....

Gentlemen and ladies:
The term 'cacique' is used to denote a local military power, akin to the old Taino chieftans where were, indeed, chiefs. The term is still used to denote a local, powerful, personage. It also implies a certain colorfulness or quaintness of character.

The term "caudillo" refers, historically, to the leaders of the militias of the independence era in every South American or Caribbean nation, AND, that ;later became politically very active and in manycases became either elected or de-facto presidents: Santana here, Paez in Venezuela, many, many more.

Trujillo was considered a "caudillo" since he was the head of the armed forces and certainly used the army to further his political purposes. Balaguer has also been called a caudillo, perhaps because he usually had the very staunch backing of the armed forces.

In the case of Desiderio Arias, he was both a cacique and a caudillo. In his case they were interchangeable.

BTW, Cacique, Moncion has excellent sancochos!!

As for Tutumpote, this is a word that Juan Bosch made popular back in the 60s to denote the powerful cliques of Santiago and Santo Domingo. The All Powerful" was his definition of the term..He used it very successfully as a derogatory term to be applied to the busness men that were very timid in their support of Bosch or his ideas....

HB

 

[Kathy]

Re: Cacique, caudillo, tutumpote....

Thanks for the information hillbilly very helpful!