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Saturday 26 april 2025 locAl
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            Alto Vista chapel and its link to Aruba’s origins


            According to Etnia Nativa, in                                                          foundations  of  the  Church
            the 18th century most of the                                                           of the Queen of the Holiest
            inhabitants  of  Aruba  were                                                           Rosary to build a new cha-
            indigenous  who  lived  on                                                             pel on the same place. The
            the north coast, one of the                                                            entire surrounding area was
            largest communities lived in                                                           empty and desolated, mak-
            Alto Vista.                                                                            ing it hard to imagine that
                                                                                                   Alto Vista was a town at all.
            As they were very religious,                                                           A hundred years later, peo-
            they  had  a  chief  with  the                                                         ple can see the remains of
            name  of  Antonio  Silvester                                                           around twenty houses, some
            who  guided  them  in  the                                                             made of stone and others of
            Christian life and it was he                                                           clay. Nowadays, only around
            who decided to build a stone                                                           six of these houses remain.
            chapel with a roof of corn
            rods, which would serve as a  Domingo  Antonio  Silvester  most infected, they began  South of the chapel in the
            place of prayer. In 1750 it was  came to Aruba from Venezu-  to build their homes further  yard two graves can be ob-  the past this tank was closed.
            blessed by Father Algamesi  ela. The elders believe Anto-  south within the Noord area,  served, there was the cem-  But mostly water was brought
            who came from Coro-Ven-      nio was a Spaniard. In 1780,  so the town of Noord began  etery which father Pablo de  out from the Poz di Noord, a
            ezuela and appointed Do-     father Joseph Antonio de la  to  grow  into  a  community  Algemesi  blessed.  It  is  not  well dug in the sand.
            mingo  Antonio  Silvester  as  Vegal called Bernardino Sil-  till  getting  its  own  Church.  certain,  but  it  is  believed
            the  island’s  first  prosecutor  vester,  one of Antonio’s sons  However  religious  festivals  that the two graves belong  The chapel can be viewed
            in the name of the Spanish  with his wife Anna Cathalina  continued to be celebrated  to  Antonio  Silvester  and  from basically any point in
            crown and Rome. In 1752 the  Tromp, “neighbors and natu-  at this sacred native place,  Miguel  Alvares,  according  the  north  side,  even  from
            prosecution passed into the  rals of the island Aruba” and  with the custom of arriving  to Nooyen. About 50 meters  Paradera and Sero Plat. All
            hands of Antonio Silvester’s  thus they became natives.   in procession to Alto Vista.  near  the  chapel  there  are  the historical remains around
            son-in-law,  Miguel  Álvarez,                                                          still  the  markings  of  an  old  the chapel provide us with
            who continued to guide the  At the end of the eighteen  Two-hundred years after the  house, where Antonio and  an idea on how the old peo-
            parishioners in their prayers.  century many inhabitants the  beautiful time of Alto Vista,  Bernardino  Silvester  would  ple of Alto Vista used to live.
                                         island died as a result of the  people  can  no  longer  see  have lived. About 200 me-  Don’t miss the opportunity to
            According to the book, The  black  fever  epidemic  and  much  of  the  town  of  Alto  ters  from  the  chapel  there  visit a place of historical sig-
            History of Alto Vista by R.H.  since people believed that  Vista  from  1750.  With  a  lot  is a water tank which the lo-  nificance with a window to
            Nooyen, it is not known when  the Alto Vista area was the  of work they found the old  cals  call  Tanki  Cacique.  In  Aruba’s past.q
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