Sainte-Marie’s cultural sites focus on a range of subjects: Caribbean basket weaving, traces of historic lime production, and exhibitions about bananas, sugarcane, and rum. You can choose what to visit based on your interests, whether you want to learn more about preserved craft knowledge, historic production sites, or agricultural products. Together, the sites convey different aspects of cultural history rather than repeating a single theme.

Basket weaving in Morne des Esses

The Centre de vannerie caraïbe in Morne des Esses was founded as a cooperative in 1967. It preserves the craft knowledge and techniques of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Basket weaving is therefore the focus here: its scope extends beyond a single product to encompass the techniques and knowledge the center preserves. Its founding year and cooperative structure also give the site a specific historical context. Anyone interested in crafts and the transmission of cultural knowledge will find a different perspective here than in exhibitions about agricultural products and their processing.

A restored lime kiln by the beach

The restored Four à Chaux de l’Anse Azérot is a former lime kiln at the entrance to the beach. It was used for artisanal lime production, giving it an architectural distinction among Sainte-Marie’s cultural sites. Unlike an exhibition that displays objects or production methods, the kiln points to a former production site. Anyone interested in the history of crafts and production can consider it alongside the basket-weaving center, though their respective focuses remain distinct: lime production here, and basket-weaving techniques and the knowledge behind them there.

Bananas and rum in the museums

The Musée du Rhum Saint James presents the history of agricultural rum production in Martinique through photographs. The images show the process from sugarcane cultivation to aging in barrels. The museum thus offers a photographic look at several stages of production and places rum in its agricultural context. Its focus is on this sequence, rather than on a single stage of production.

At the Musée de la Banane, a permanent exhibition in a former sugar factory showcases the diversity of bananas. The museum is located in the Quartier Fourniols on Habitation Limbé. Unlike the Musée du Rhum Saint James, its focus is not the journey from sugarcane cultivation to barrel aging, but the diversity of another agricultural fruit. If you are choosing between the themes, you can distinguish between an exhibition about bananas and a photographic presentation of rum production.

Historic stops at Habitation La Salle

At Habitation La Salle, visitors can explore various stops along the historic journey from sugarcane to rum. These include wooden mills used to crush sugarcane and extract its juice, as well as the Guildiverie, a distillery for the first rums. The focus here is on specific stages of processing. This distinguishes the historic visitor route from the photographic presentation at the Musée du Rhum Saint James: there, photographs show production through to aging in barrels, while at Habitation La Salle, the mills and distillery are among the stages described. Before visiting, check whether the tour is currently available.

For choosing according to your personal interests, the options are clear: the Centre de vannerie caraïbe is dedicated to basket-weaving techniques and the cultural knowledge behind them, while the Four à Chaux de l’Anse Azérot focuses on historic lime production. The museums focus on the diversity of bananas and the history and processing of agricultural rum, respectively. Habitation La Salle complements this theme with stops illustrating historic sugarcane processing. These differences help you understand Sainte-Marie as a travel destination through its cultural themes and choose what to focus on during your stay.

Discover more destinations: La Trinité, Hyacinthe, Grand'Rivière, Le Robert, Le Lorrain.

Return to the main travel overview: La Trinité.