Grand Bourg — Uncover the Plantation's Buried Conspiracy

Your investigation begins at the Grand-Bourg Tourist Office, a typical 18th-century Creole building, in the heart of Marie-Galante's main town. This location, built as a central administrative point, served as a hub for all information about the island's sugar history. Less than 1 km away, you can already glimpse the Bézard Windmill. As you head towards the central square, bustling since the 18th century and surrounded by French colonial arcades, you gather the first clues hinting at the tensions of 1794 and the planters' maneuvers.

800 meters from the Tourist Office, the Bézard Windmill stands tall, an 18th-century windmill restored in 1980, a testament to the island of a hundred windmills' past. Approximately 15 meters high, it crushed sugarcane until the early 20th century. This emblematic site, visible in Grand-Bourg's urban landscape, reveals how Marie-Galante's colonial sugar economy depended on these infrastructures. The hidden messages here warn you against proponents of maintaining slavery, ready to do anything to preserve their privileges.

Your journey then leads you to Habitation Murat, a 19th-century sugar plantation, dating from around 1830. On a historical domain of approximately 50 hectares, you discover the remains of a sugar factory and a mill, intimately linked to the history of Marie-Galante's slave plantations. Although partially open for guided tours, this restored private property offers a glimpse into the living and working conditions of the era, essential for understanding the stakes of the conspiracy you are trying to thwart. The clues here are carved into the stone of the workers' dependencies.

Continue your investigation at Distillerie Bielle, founded in 1770 and active for over 250 years. This distillery, located on Habitation Bielle, produces AOC Marie-Galante agricultural rum using traditional copper stills, with an annual production capacity of approximately 800,000 liters. Less than 1 km from Grand-Bourg center, it is a rare example of a preserved family distillery, having obtained its AOC label in 2012. Here, production records and anecdotes from master distillers reveal the commercial ties that fueled the conspiracy.

Finally, your quest leads you to the Saint-Louis de Marie-Galante Church, built in 1936 in a Neo-Romanesque style, replacing an 18th-century chapel. Its 30-meter bell tower dominates Grand-Bourg and symbolizes the island's resilience. Approximately 1 km from the center, this religious heritage houses classified 19th-century statues. The last pieces of the conspiracy puzzle are found here, revealing the names of the conspirators. You complete your mission with a deep understanding of Guadeloupe's sugar heritage, the AOC Marie-Galante Agricultural Rum, and the complex history of this island of a hundred windmills.