The Pitch Lake (The 8^th Wonder of the World)

In the south-western part of the island of Trinidad there is a little village in which lies, what is

oftimes called the 8th Wonder of the World. The village of La Brea, the Spanish term for ‘the tar’ and which should not be confused with the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, is the location of the Pitch Lake. In Trinidad it is most common to pronounce the word ‘la Brea’ as ‘laBray’ as opposed to the Tar Pits which is pronounced ‘la Bray-ah’.

It is the largest such natural lake in the world and spans almost a hundred acres. In 1595 when Sir Walter Raleigh was searching for El Dorado the indigenous people of Trinidad showed him ‘the Lake’ and he was credited for its discovery. This was almost 180 years before the first known records of the ‘Tar Pits’. The Pitch Lake is also an international tourist attraction and has been the subject of numerous scientific studies and research and is known  for its bathing spots since the waters are credited with regenerative

 and restorative properties. GANUFA Youtube video at the following link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e69wMKWSFUM shows a bit of a historical perspective of the Pitch Lake whilst ChocoTrini, Youtube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uiY6r7BWno gives a more colourful presentation. The tar and asphalt that have been mined from ‘the Lake’ have been used to

pave the first asphalt roads of some main cities of Europe and America. The boundaries of ‘the Lake’ is said to shift and the structures and roads of the village itself is affected by this constant movement. The asphalt of the Lake ‘re-grows’ when it is mined and it is indeed a Wonder of the World.