Yallahs

Sixteen kilometers west of Morant Bay, large salt ponds can be seen along the coast marking the approach to Yallahs. These ponds were once used as a source for salt and are home to brine shrimp and yellow butterflies. The name Yallahs is derived from the surname of a Spanish family that settled there to raise cattle on a ranch known as Hato de Ayala. The road inland from the center of Yallahs leads up along the river to Bethel Gap and from there deeper into the mountains, ultimately reaching Hagley Gap on a poor road traversable only by four-wheel-drive vehicles. Eleven kilometers north of Yallahs across the river from Easington is Judgment Cliff, which collapsed during the earthquake of 1692--burying an entire valley, it is said, in judgment of the Dutchman who maltreated slaves on his plantation. In any case, judgment was not justice, and most of his slaves died alongside him under the weight of a small mountain.