The mystery of human skulls washing ashore on the Guayaguare beach has finally been solved.
Residents say the human remains are coming from the ancient Kalmapas private cemetery where several prominent families were buried since the 17th century. The last skull found on the beach occurred in February.
When Guardian Media visited the area, several disturbed tombstones lay scattered haphazardly on the beach while the pounding waves tore through the cliff. The shell of houses, lost to the sea peaked out from the top of steep cliffs, a grim reminder of what the community once looked like.
Resident Elias Hyndman said the Alves, Cateaus, Ferriers and Job families were tormented to see their ancestors’ remains disturbed by the constant pummeling of the ocean.
“My father, grandfather and great-grandfather have all lived and died in Kalmapas. Everyone in Guaya knows about this private cemetery and if you look back you will realize that some of the gravestones on the beach used to be at the front of the cemetery,” Hyndman said.
He recalled that the main road once stretched past the beach.
“That’s why they call it Guaya Main Road. Because of the erosion, you are seeing the erosion taking away the cemetery and before the Government out down that wall, houses were on the brink of getting eroded into the sea,” Hyndman said.
He said the cemetery carried a rich history of Guayaguayare. Hyndman called on the government to continue construction of the Guayaguayare seawall saying several homes and the road are in danger of destruction.
“We have several major companies based in the Guayaguayare area and we need to get some help. The skulls of our ancestors are washing away on the beach and we want to make sure the world knows what is going on,” he said.
Meanwhile, another resident Arlene Mitchell said the erosion has escalated over the past five years
Saying many families have been engaged in constant repairs, Mitchell said at any point there could be a disaster in Kalmapas.
“Further down the road, a house has fallen. We have been asking them to continue the seawall but the information we have is that it will not continue in this area,” Mitchell said.
She said every time it rains, the erosion gets worse.
Another resident Keith Johnson said even though the government has stepped in, major damage to the community has already been done. “Mass erosion has taken place even where the government has placed a wall. The area is now open to the sea,” Johnson said.
More than 70 homes in Kalmapas have been damaged of which 25 plus have crumbled into the sea over the past decade.
