ABSTRACT
If we omit the extreme Cartesianism of the colonial polders of Suriname and Guyana, modern coastal Guiana observed from above could resemble the ancient Roman army. We see centuries, maniples, and cohorts of mounds tactically arranged in square or tortoise formation. They are found along thalwegs or sandbars, arranged in Praetorian squadrons surrounded by marshes or extending across the savanna in Hoplite phalanges. Whatever their form, these transformations have vanquished the chaos of the tropical coast. The carefree liberty of nature has surrendered to indigenous ingenuity. The blade of grass has been conquered, crushed, and annihilated by humans, who have put in its place the vegetation of their choosing. This contrasts with the traditional French farmstead, characterized by centuries of successive buying and selling as well as conflicts with neighbors, altogether a turbulent legacy. Guiana’s patchwork landscape reflects the harmonious and flourishing product of communal labor. A mighty general has subdued the barbarous equatorial nature. Which tribunes and centurions organized this structured and disciplined legion?
