Page 13 - AHATA

a11
local Thursday 4 december 2025
Planning on snorkeling? Get to know our Candelchi!

ORANJESTAD—If you’re the body. They have hard
ever planning on snorkel- fins and are always armed.
ing during your vacation on Over at our sister island
Aruba, you may spot fish Curaçao, they are called
that you can’t recognize. “bari di clabo” (nail barrel)
One of these may be the for that reason.
“Candelchi” (Squirrelfish),
a common, yet shy fish that In our waters, there are 7 to
swims all year long in the 8 types or species present
waters of Aruba. and they are sometimes
caught and seen occa-
Let’s talk about the names sionally. They can be distin-
of fish. Do you know your guished by different marks
fish? The Department of such as color on the dorsal
Agriculture, Livestock, and spine or marks on the body.
Fisheries, known as Santa
Rosa, offers this informative In Aruba:
article that illustrates some Candelchi are found on
fish and their names in Pa- reefs or areas with structure
piamento. in the water where they
can hide. Although they
Candelchi, Squirrelfish, Ho- prefer to hunt for food at
locentrus adscensionis: night, they are also active
Candelchi actually refers to during the day. They are
the entire squirrelfish family edible and delicious when
or, as some say, when we prepared dry and crispy
say candelchi, we mean our waters, which is called different species of squir- tinguished by the following with lime. It is particularly
several different species squirrelfish in English or sci- relfish. They all look alike characteristics. They are challenging to scale the
but without distinguishing entifically known as Holo- and it’s really difficult to dis- heart-shaped with pink or fish, which is why it is not
them by species. In this centrus adscensionis. tinguish between them. red hues and often show one of the favorites among
picture, we are showing Under candelchi, we in Aru- heart-shaped streaks be- fishermen. They often live in
the most common one in ba generally refer to all the The squirrelfish family is dis- tween the scales along groups.q

Aruba’s neighborhoods; the meaning behind their names;

Ayo & Alto Vista

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