Page 8 - AHATA

Saturday 22 July 2023 locAl
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Exploring the Mainstreet of San Nicolas

SAN NICOLAS— At Just 11 Over the course of four de- than anywhere else on the
miles southeast from Oran- cades, its demographics island.
jestad you will enter the city had changed immensely
San Nicolas, also known as due to a stream of Afro-Ca- Flow of history
Sunrise City or Chocolate ribbean and South Ameri- if you are looking for his-
City. A city that is rich in can workers who came tory San Nicolas has it. Here
authentic culture and is- to fill the jobs in the oil re- you will find three amazing
land charm. San Nicolas is finery between the 1920’s museums, The Museum of
Aruba’s second largest city until the 1960’s. To this day Industry, the Community in San Nicolas and narrates an emerging cultural hub
and was once a bustling traces of the multicultural Museum and the Carnival Aruba's industrial history — varied history, interesting
company town dominated influences in culinary offer- Euphoria, all within walking which began in the 19th architecture, and, perhaps
by the oil industry since the ings and customs, housing distance from one another. century. Here you will learn most importantly, an urban
early 1930’s. and population are clearly The Museum of Industry is about gold, aloe, phos- layout that makes it walk-
visible in San Nicolas - more situated in the Water Tower phate, oil and the tourism able. As you walk around,
industries which made San the streets are silent but
Nicolas once a bustling the walls are loud, filled
business center. Experi- with bright, colorful murals
ence the touching stories painted by a collection
of those who were part of of artists from around the
this history. world. Thanks to the efforts
Nicolaas Store built in 1940 of various art organizations
and renovated in 2014 is in Aruba, such as Art Rules
the home of the Communi- Aruba and Aruba Art Fair,
ty Museum. The collection is San Nicolas has had quite
remarkable and spans mil- the aesthetic makeover
lennia. Ancient fossils stand with regards to vibrant
next to tableaus of an au- street art. Each year more
thentically recreated colo- and more stunning murals
nial kitchen and bedroom are replacing broken down
and 19th-century barber- buildings with colorful art
shop, just to name a few of pieces that keep brighten-
the items of old-time Aruba ing up SunriseCity.
that has been preserved. A
collection of artifacts and Must See, Do, Buy & Eat
other objects of artistic, cul- A little bit of everything can
tural, historical, or scientific be found in the main street.
importance can be found Stores selling shoes, cloth-
here for the purpose of ed- ing, jewelry you name it.
ucation or enjoyment. Arts & crafts by Cosecha
Carnival Euphoria is show- store & Creative Center, a
casing Aruba’s Carnival. design store in which you
See how are Carnival has can immerse yourself in dis-
developed over the past covering genuine and lo-
65 years. cally made arts and crafts
which reflect the diversifi-
The new San Nicolas cation of the Aruban craft
In the shadow of the refin- heritage and the artistic
ery, an art capital is quietly supply of artisans. Don’t
beginning to grow. This is miss out on trying the exqui-
the new San Nicolas, a site food offered by the ca-
place that is starting to be- fes and restaurants or just
come a magnet for all that enjoy a peaceful walk ad-
is young, cool and hip in miring the murals, mosaic
Aruba. Indeed, San Nicolas benches and all the history
has all of the ingredients of San Nicolas has to offer.q