Piparo is a village in Central Trinidad on the southern edge of the Central Range. The village has three main claims to fame:
- Piparo was the base of operations of Dole Chadee (born Nankissoon Boodram), a notorious drug lord who was executed in 1999 for the murder of four members of the Baboolal family.
- Piparo was the home of Ras Shorty I (born Garfield Blackman) after his retirement from the calypso world. Living simply in this rural community Ras Shorty I developed jamoo, a fusion of reggae, kaiso and gospel music.
- Piparo was the site of a large mud volcano eruption in February 22, 1997. The eruption covered an area of 2.5 km² and displaced 31 families. The mud volcano now lies inactive where the eruption took place.
During the early twentieth century Piparo was an important cacao producer.
10°20′N 61°20′W / 10.333°N 61.333°W
-
Remants of the damage, 11 yrs later
-
Piparo damage
-
Main vent at Piparo