Arouca (originally San Agustín de Arouca) is a town in the
East–West Corridor
The East–West Corridor is the built-up area of north Trinidad stretching from the capital, Port of Spain, east to Arima. The term was coined by economist and political philosopher Lloyd Best, after gleaning the works of a technocrat named ...
of
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
located east of
Port of Spain
Port of Spain ( Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a muni ...
, along the
Eastern Main Road. It is located west of
Arima
Arima, officially The Royal Chartered Borough of Arima is the easternmost and second largest in area of the three boroughs of Trinidad and Tobago. It is geographically adjacent to Sangre Grande and Arouca at the south central foothills of ...
, east of
Tunapuna and
Tacarigua, south of
Lopinot, and north of
Piarco. It is governed by the
Tunapuna–Piarco Regional Corporation. Arouca may be a corruption of ''Arauca'', an
Amerindian
The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the inhabitants of the Americas before the arrival of the European settlers in the 15th century, and the ethnic groups who now identify themselves with those peoples.
Many Indigenous peoples of the A ...
tribe.
During most of the Spanish rule, Arouca was a settlement reserved for Amerindians. However, when the French arrived in 1783 under Governor
José María Chacón's ''Cedula de Repoblación'' the Amerindians were restricted to Arima. Most of the land in Arouca was split between the Tablau and Chaumet families. Arouca steadily grew into a major agricultural center, but the extension of the railroad to
Sangre Grande
Sangre Grande is the largest town in northeastern Trinidad and Tobago. It is located east of Arima and southwest of the village of Toco. It is the seat of the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation and capital of the region.
Overview and history ...
in 1898 lured many people in Arouca to relocate to the more prosperous Sangre Grande valley.
Today, it mainly comprises residential housing. There are several schools located in Arouca including the Bon Air Primary School, Arouca Anglican Primary School, Arouca Girls R.C., Arouca Boys R.C., Arouca Government Primary Schools and
Bon Air High School
Bon Air Secondary School is a co-educational secondary school in Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the m ...
.
Arouca is home to four prisons and one correctional facility. These include the Golden Grove Prison, Remand Prison, Women's Prison and Youth Training and Rehabilitation Centre.
Prominent people from Arouca
*
George Padmore
*
Henry Sylvester Williams
*
Jaswick Taylor
*
Learie Constantine
*
Pundit
A pundit is a person who offers mass media opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport).
Origins
The term originates from the Sanskrit term ('' '' ), meaning "knowledg ...
Teeluckdharry Upadayya
Gallery
File:TnT Arouca Holy Trinity Church.jpg, Holy Trinity Church
File:TnT Arouca 1.jpg, Eastern Main Road
File:TnT Arouca 2.jpg, Arouca
File:TnT Arouca 3.jpg, Arouca
References
*{{cite book, author=Anthony, Michael, author-link=Michael Anthony (author), title=Historical Dictionary of Trinidad and Tobago, publisher=Scarecrow Press, Inc. , location=Lanham, Maryland, and London , year=2001 , isbn=0-8108-3173-2
External links
Arouca Community Mailing listArouca's Main Website
Populated places in Trinidad and Tobago