Page 14 - ATA AUG 12, 2015

AMBRIOSO

OUR NEWEST HORSE

MEET THE HERD:
Rosalinda, Saturnina, Bonifacia, Eufrosina,
Celestina, Sinforosa, Escapia, and Ambrosio.
Eight horses revisiting us from our memorable past,
claiming their nearly forgotten place in history.

PAARDENBAAI embodies an important part of the early his-

tory of Oranjestad; the natural harbor facilitated horse trade that
dates back to the early days of Spanish colonization of Aruba.
This trade in livestock and primarily horses was one of the
key factors in the early development of commerce and later
settlement of the town at the bay.

During the following three centuries, the horse
trade remained important for the island: for the
Spanish period during conquest (1500’s), and
later for the Dutch under the West Indian
Company rule (1600’s and 1700’s)
Aruba remained as what could be
considered a ranch that facili-
tated the colonization projects.
In the early Dutch Colonial pe-
riod (1800’s & 1900’s) this role
diminished and a shift to other
industries and small scale farm-
ing became more important. Thus
for over four centuries a great variety of
livestock (primarily horses) was kept on the
island where it remained accessible and could

easily be transported to other destinations.

The first horse to be installed was Rosalinda and now she is joined
by Ambrioso. Ambrioso is the immortal hero, a symbol of power and
nobility. She is the second one of the 8 horses that will be placed all
around the downtown area, to represent Paardenbaai’s history. The horses are
blue to represent the horses immersing from the water after being thrown off
board ships that sail past our island.

6 LOCAL Wednesday, August 12 2015 - ARUBA TRAVELLER