Deshaies on Guadeloupe’s Leeward Coast

Deshaies is a commune on the northwestern coast of Basse-Terre Island, along Guadeloupe’s leeward coast. European colonists established a permanent settlement near Pointe Allègre in 1635, but the present town developed later around Anse des Hayes. In 1730, the colonial governor authorized the creation of a settlement and a defensive battery with two cannons. The parish church was blessed on 29 June 1733, a date the municipality identifies as the official origin of Deshaies.

The surrounding terrain kept the community relatively isolated. By 1922, a road connected Basse-Terre with several settlements along the leeward coast, but it ended at neighboring Pointe-Noire. Deshaies remained accessible principally by sea or difficult overland paths until Route Nationale 2 reached the commune in 1957.

Deshaies had 4,081 residents when these photographs were taken in 2017. The official population declined to 3,710 by 2023.