Mister Bato, a Cahuita Legend

From the stories I heard, Mister Bato was capable of almost supernatural powers, including the ability to hold his breath underwater for hours and lift objects weighing more than 200 pounds.  Once, he rescued some construction equipment that had spilled into the river.  The townspeople asked him if he could recover it from the river bottom so Mister Bato dove down, and resurfaced two hours later with the equipment in hand. For payment, Mister Bato did not ask for much: "Solo nececito una botella de alcohól".

Walter "Gavitt" Ferguson, a Cahuita musician and songwriter, sings about a different story here in the song "Cabin in the Wata".  In this story, Mister Bato again employs some crafty tricks to try to escape his outcome when the Costa Rica National Park Service insists that he may no longer keep his cabin on the land that will be turned into the Cahuita National Park.

Mister Bato thought, 'If I can't have my cabin on the land, then I guess I'll build my cabin in de wata'!


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Cabin in the Wata
by Walter "Gavitt" Ferguson


This modern generation,
Every day the people getting smarter:
Now they made me to understand
Bato build a cabin in the wata.

   Oh, the cabin in the wata
   Mister Bato was the author
   He was a fine constructor, really never knew
   The bugger was a builder

   Oh, the cabin in the wata
   Mister Bato was the author
   I knew he was a diver, but I never knew
   The bugger was a builder

The Mistress at the National Park
Mr. Bato said it was a rumor;
She decided to take a walk,
Lo and behold: a cabin in the wata.

The lady was getting hot
When she saw the cabin in the sea
Jumping like red beans boiling in pot,
And she tell him must pull it down immediately.

The building was quite erect,
Imagine it was standing in the sea!
The lady called him an architect
“¡But you going to pull it down immediately!”

Now they come to a big dispute,
Bato said, “Me born in Costa Rica.”
“You could a born in Ethiopia
Me no want no cabin in the wata.”

Kiaky Brown was telling me
About the Cabin in the wata:
“Bato build something in the sea,
Must be build it with the devil and he daughter.”

   Oh, the cabin in the wata
   Mister Bato was the author
   He was a fine constructor, really never knew
   The bugger was a builder

   Oh, the cabin in the wata
   Mister Bato was the author
   I knew he was a diver, but I never knew
   The bugger was a builder