Liguanea (/ˈlɪɡəniː/LIG-ə-nee) is an area of the island of Jamaica. Its name came from the language of the Arawak people[1] who currently inhabit some of the island's rural areas in Cornwall County.[2][3] and named it after the iguana lizard that is endemic to the island, revered reptiles whom is known for its ability to camouflage itself amongst its background to appear as if it is not there, a tactic later learned and practiced by the aboriginals in hunting and their games of hide and seek..
Geographically Liguanea was the whole parish of todays St. Andrew parish named St. Andrew after the English take over of the islands from the Spanish, the Liguanea Plains are the fertile flat lands of alluvium spreading south towards Kingston Harbour, but the area today now known as Liguanea is now only a small part of the Kingston Corporate Area, a section of itself and now named the parish of St Andrew. From a socioeconomic point of view, Liguanea is the name of a distinct commercial district: east to west, between Half-Way-Tree (up to Jamaica House) and Papine (at UTech's front gate); north to south, between Millsborough (Barbican Road) and New Kingston (Mountain View Road to Trafalgar Road).
The heart of the Liguanea suburban commercial district is Matilda's Corner, the only intersection of Hope and Old Hope Roads. Activities here serve the immediate neighbourhoods as well as the adjoining area of Papine. The origin of the name Matilda's Corner is unknown. Enclosing residential areas include Mona, Wellington, Mona Heights, Hope Pastures, Trafalgar Park, and Beverly Hills. The "small communities", also known as ghettoes or "deep urban areas", nearby are Sandy Gully, Stand Pipe and Chambers Lane/Air Pipe.
History
Following the English invasion of Jamaica Lt.-Colonel Henry Archibold established a regimental plantation, using the labour of soldiers under his command to develop “one of the best plantations in the island” (Commander William Brayne).[4]: 136
Hope Estate
Richard Hope, a member of the English Army, founded the Hope Estate in the 1660s. It was first a cattle-mill. Given permission to operate a watermill along Hope River to grind sugar cane in 1752, it became a sugar plantation. It was called the Hope Plantation. The estate grew and in 1826 it was called Hope Estate.[5]
Hope Botanical Garden and Zoo
The Hope Botanical Garden and Zoo, located on Old Hope Road, includes a botanical garden, orchid house, and stone aqueduct. There is also a children’s amusement park and a zoo. It is located on what was formerly the Hope Estate. In 1881, the government acquired the land and laid out the gardens. In 1953, the Royal Botanical Gardens were formed for a visit by Queen Elizabeth II.[6] The Botanical Gardens are the largest in the Caribbean.[7]
Places of interest
Religious: - Anglican, Roman Catholic, Church of God, Apostolic/Pentecostal Seventh-day Adventist, New Testament, Methodist - the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese in Jamaica, a Methodist cemetery, and an Anglican columbarium;
Commercial: Three large scale and more small-scale shopping malls, three banks, a building society, a Post Office and mall with many supermarkets and shops;
Educational: two major universities, seven secondary schools - Campion College, Jamaica College, Priory High (closed in 2007), Ardenne High, American International School of Kingston, Papine High and Mona High - and five primary schools - New Providence Primary, Sts. Peter and Paul Preparatory, Priory Prep. (closed), Mona Prep. & Mona Primary; three Basic Schools - Providence Methodist Early Childhood Institution, Shady Grove Basic School, NWC Basic School.
The Society for the Blind H.Q.;
The US Embassy in Jamaica.
Facts
Postal code: Kingston 6
Population: approximately 10,000
Famous persons from Liguanea: Kemmarie Blake, Zachary Jardine
Oldest building in Liguanea: the triangular Fabricare cleaning building.
Oldest institution: Providence Methodist Church on Old Hope Road, between Liguanea Lane Plaza and Photo Express.
Notable dates: The day the Guango tree was cut down, 1997
The following places are within three miles of Matilda's Corner:
Ministry of Agriculture and Mining,
Management Institute of National Development (MIND),
^Madrilejo, Nicole; Lombard, Holden; Torres, Jada Benn (May 2015). "Origins of marronage: Mitochondrial lineages of Jamaica's Accompong Town Maroons". American Journal of Human Biology. 27 (3): 432–437. doi:10.1002/ajhb.22656. ISSN1520-6300. PMID25392952.
