EL BATEY

n.105 cm.76x101

semi-gloss on canvas

                                In this painting is represented harvesting sugar cane.

In the Dominican Republic, agriculture is one of the major resources.
After the fishing and tourism, are the crops of coffee, cocoa, tobacco and sugar cane.
For these crops, labor used is from Haiti.
Haitians Workers live in villages called batey.
The batey, which are shown to tourists, while hiking, are composed of simple, small houses all alike, equipped with electricity, water, a small vegetable garden and a few chickens.
But unfortunately, the majority, are formed from wood cabins or made with recycled materials, without bathrooms, without water and without schools for children.

In these villages, are born and die without leaving a mark, the children, are not even reported to a registry office!

SUGAR CANE

                                                                  n. 75 cm. 76 x 101

                                                                Semi-gloss on canvas

Fields of sugar cane grow mainly inland.
As one of the crops most widely practiced in the Dominican Republic, its processing requires the contribution of all the family and everyone is assigned a role in the process, depending on their abilities.
It 'a perennial tropical plant that needs a hot humid climate.
The sugar is obtained from a syrupy fluid present within the shaft.
It must not be torn, but cut down, leaving the root, so that it can grow back the following year.
After being cut, the cane is cleaned and pressed.
  From the pressing is obtained a liquid that is boiled and that, as soon as it becomes more dense, is poured into a large vessel where it cools.
The next step is refining.