Just like any other country, Aruba has unique and beautifully named neighborhoods that all form a part of its culture and development. Many of these names have a historical background and meaning that teaches us about the island and its rich culture every day.
With this series, we want to take you on a journey of discovery, where you’ll learn not only the beautiful names but the history behind it that gives it life and meaning.
Ayo
Ajo, or Ayo, is a word with Arawak-Indian origin. A (or Ha) is an Indo-Antillean generalizing word. If you were to change a part of the word “Ayo”, namely ‘Yo’, to ‘Yu’ and make ‘Ayu’, it would mean “white.”
However, as we now know, the name of the neighborhood is ‘Ayo’. The word ‘Yo’ stands for Yocahu, which is another word for ‘creator’ in Arawak/Taino and in the Papiamento spoken today, ‘Ayo’ means ‘bye’.
At Ayo, you can find some of the most well known rock formations. These formations became a well loved and visited attraction at Aruba that is held in high regards by both tourists and locals alike.
If you’d like to know more about the rock formations at Ayo, stay tuned for our article where we tell you all about its location and history.
This neighborhood’s abbreviation is; A.
Alto Vista
This word combination can be roughly translated to a ‘high point of view’ and the neighborhood received this name from the Hill.
In the surrounding areas, DomingoAntonia Silvestre built his by his own means the very first chapel or church of Aruba. The walls of this church were made with rocks but the roof was made of dry corn stalks. The church was inaugurated by father Pablo Algemesi
If you’d like to know more about the Alto Vista Church’s beautiful history, stay tuned for our article where we tell you all you need to know about it for when you visit it.
This neighborhood’s abbreviation is; AV.
