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.
Anabui/Tierra Del Sol
This neighborhood can be seen on Van Raders map and Werbata as Anna Boei. Anna Boei is a name of which there isn’t much information about its origin.
The best historians were able to deduce is that this name came to be because of a miscommunication between Van Spengler and the natives who were living on the island. In the Arawak/Taino language one can find the word Anaiboa, which consists of Ana meaning flower or the best and Iboa; the juice of a cassava, which together would mean “the best juice of a cassava”.
If one assumes that the actual word heard was Anaboio instead, consisting of Ana meaning the best and Boio (bohio); house, the iteration of Anabui would mean “the best house.” This is the origin that has been more or less speculated and assumed for the word Anabui and it’s meaning.
During the second world war and later, this area was used as a terrain for training of shooting by militia and latero n Korps Mariniers (the marines of Aruba). By the end of the previous century a large part of Anabui was developed to have luxurious villas and a golf course, which lead to it getting the name Tierra Del Sol, Spanish for Land of the Sun. The name is not an official name, but the name of the development proyect that took place. It is hoped that the original and ‘old’ name of Anabui is never lost and now it will be remembered by both locals and tourists.
Angochi
This name can be seen on the Werbata map with little and cursive letters. It is the unofficial name for the area given by a tenant to the land that was rented to him.
The biggest probability that historians believe is that it comes from native descent, during the time in the 19th century where Mestizos still lived on Aruba. The name can’t really be explain and according to books on its history seems to be more of a sign of corruption.
However, it seems to come from combining A(n), which is a generalizing prefix and Goeiza, which means ‘the spirit of a living man’. Angochi remains more of a guess.
This neighborhood’s abbreviation is; An.
