Haiti has never been simple. The first nation in Latin America to claim independence from a colonial European power (France), it has also suffered under intensely repressive regimes for much of its history. The first independent, post-colonial, black-led republic in the world, it is a land of grinding poverty -- poverty always existing side-by-side with (relatively) extreme wealth among a very select few. It is also a land of rare, intense natural beauty. Pictured: Palm trees silhouetted against the sky at a Haitian fishing village, photographed by LIFE's Gordon Parks.
Photo: Gordon Parks./Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
RSS
