Tourism and Culture; Tocuchare Beach (Eng/Esp)
English version
Tocuchare is more than just a paradise of sea and mountains; it is a community that has existed for many years and still maintains ties to its roots. Its name comes from the Carib Indians; in their language, the word “Tocuchare” means “home of the hummingbird,” since these birds used to be a common sight in the area before deforestation eventually drove them away.
The first time I visited Tocuchare was in the 1980s; vast expanses of land, rudimentary houses, small farm plots, livestock, and a constant smell of burning firewood characterized the place. Hens, chickens, goats, and pigs roamed freely because everyone there knew each other, and everyone knew what belonged to them.
Gradually, everything began to change; it went from being a rural fishing village to a tourist area with very luxurious beach houses and even modern inns. Of course, all public services arrived, including satellite and fiber-optic internet, and the community began to modernize: a school was built near the entrance, followed by a large multipurpose sports field, and the modest huts gave way to concrete homes. As I walked through its streets, I noticed that some roads were paved while others were still dirt—the same contrast that can be seen in the buildings.
The community, made up of fishermen and merchants, looks out for the well-being of the area, always attentive to the homes of vacationers and the people who visit the beach and the inns, so staying here is very pleasant. On this tour, I also noticed a wide variety of flora and fauna; most of the houses had gardens with quite striking flowering plants.
Long gone are my memories of the goats escaping from their pens—made of sticks and wire—to eat everything in their path, including the clothes that beachgoers left on the shore. I also remember that there was no piped water service, so fresh water was brought in by truck. What hasn’t changed is the reliance on seafood; fishermen make use of the ocean’s boundless bounty to support themselves, a tradition that has been preserved for centuries.
Versión en Español
Tocuchare es más que un paraíso de mar y montaña, es una comunidad constituida desde hace muchos años y que todavía mantiene vínculos con sus raíces. Su nombre proviene de los indios Caribe, para su lengua la palabra Tocuchare significa hogar del colibrí ya que anteriormente era frecuente ver estas aves en la zona, antes que la deforestación terminara por alejarlas.
La primera ocasión que visité Tocuchare fue en la década de los ochenta, grandes extensiones de terreno, casas rudimentarias, conucos, cría de animales y un permanente olor a leña ardiendo caracterizaban el lugar. Gallinas, pollos, chivos y cochinos deambulaban a sus anchas porque todos allí se conocían y cada quién sabía lo que era suyo.
Paulatinamente, todo fue cambiando, de área rural de pescadores pasó a ser una zona turística con casas de playa muy lujosas y hasta modernas posadas, por supuesto llegaron todos los servicios públicos, incluyendo internet satelital y por fibra óptica, y la comunidad comenzó a modernizarse, una escuela se edificó cerca de la entrada, luego se hizo una gran cancha múltiple, y los modestos ranchos dieron paso a viviendas de cemento. Recorriendo sus calles advertí que algunas vías estaban pavimentadas en tanto otras todavía eran de tierra, el mismo contraste que se puede observar en las construcciones.
La comunidad, de pescadores y comerciantes, cuida del bienestar de la zona, siempre atenta a las casas de los temporadistas y de las personas que visitan la playa y las posadas, así que la permanencia acá es muy agradable. En este recorrido también pude notar fauna y flora muy variada, la mayoría de las casas tenían jardines con plantas florales bastante llamativas.
Lejos quedaron mis recuerdos de los chivos que salían de sus corrales, hechos de palos y alambre, para comerse todo lo que encontraban a su paso, incluyendo la ropa que los bañistas dejaban en la orilla. También recuerdo que no existía servicio de agua por tubería, así que el agua dulce era traída en camiones. Lo que no ha cambiado es la dependencia de los productos del mar, los pescadores aprovechan la infinita riqueza marina para sus respectivos sustentos, tradición que se ha preservado durante siglos.
✓Photos from my personal gallery, edited with Fotocollage.
✓Text translated with DeepL.
✓Fotos de mi galería personal, editadas con Fotocollage.
✓Texto traducido con DeepL.
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