Fishing Boats on Mayaro Beach:
The “Mayaro District” was the first area of settlement on the south east coast of Trinidad when many estates were granted to French planters who settled Trinidad in the late 18th century. No roads crossed the island and area was only accessible by steamer until the late 19th century. The etymology of the name, ‘Mayaro’ originated from the Arawakan mainstaple ‘maya’ which was a plant in abundance in the area. The end of the word, ‘ro’ is the Arawak term meaning, “the place of,” hence “the place of maya” or “Mayaro”. It encompasses a huge bay and six smaller villages. Mayaro Beach is one of the island’s most popular holiday destinations offering a relatively remote area for relaxation away from the hectic city life. Most of Trinidad’s oil and natural gas production comes from offshore oil fields to the east of Mayaro. The major offshore producers are BPTT and BHP Billiton. Onshore oil production is under the control of Petrotrin, and a considerable area has been farmed out to small independent oil producers.