Batey

A Batey is a traditional communal area or village in the Caribbean, particularly in the Dominican Republic, where farm workers, often of Haitian origin, live and work near sugar plantations. Historically, bateyes served as housing and social centers for laborers who harvested sugarcane. These areas often face challenges related to poverty, limited infrastructure, and social inequality. While rooted in the region’s history of plantation labor, bateyes are evolving as communities with their own cultural identities, highlighting issues of migration, economic disparity, and the impact of historical plantation systems.