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Friday 21 November 2025 locAl
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Aruba’s neighborhoods; the meaning behind their names; Ayo & Alto Vista

(Oranjestad)—Just like However, as we now know,
any other country, Aruba the name of the neighbor-
has unique and beautifully hood is ‘Ayo’. The word ‘Yo’
named neighborhoods that stands for Yocahu, which is
all form a part of its culture another word for ‘creator’
and development. Many of in Arawak/Taino and in the
these names have a histori- Papiamento spoken today,
cal background and mean- ‘Ayo’ means ‘bye’.
ing that teaches us about the
island and its rich culture ev- Domingo Antonia Silvestre
ery day. At Ayo, you can find some built his by his own means
of the most well known rock the very first chapel or
With this series, we want to formations. These formations church of Aruba. The walls
take you on a journey of dis- became a well loved and of this church were made
covery, where you’ll learn visited attraction at Aruba with rocks but the roof was
not only the beautiful names that is held in high regards made of dry corn stalks. The
but the history behind it that by both tourists and locals church was inaugurated by
gives it life and meaning. alike. father Pablo Algemesi.

Ayo If you’d like to know more If you’d like to know more
Ajo, or Ayo, is a word with about the rock formations about the Alto Vista Church’s
Arawak-Indian origin. A (or at Ayo, stay tuned for our beautiful history, stay tuned
Ha) is an Indo-Antillean gen- article where we tell you all for our article where we tell
eralizing word. If you were to about its location and his- you all you need to know
change a part of the word tory. Alto Vista neighborhood received this about it for when you visit it.
“Ayo”, namely ‘Yo’, to ‘Yu’ This word combination can name from the Hill.
and make ‘Ayu’, it would This neighborhood’s abbre- be roughly translated to a This neighborhood’s abbre-
mean “white.” viation is; A. ‘high point of view’ and the In the surrounding areas, viation is; AV.q

Planning on snorkeling? Get to know our “Dorado”

names come only when a fished for that reason. its long, flat body ends in a
group of people, to under- large blunt head. Its color
stand each other, assign a They grow very fast, up to of yellow and green or blue
name to a fish. Mahi Mahi, 2.7 inches (almost 7 cm) makes it immediately rec-
for example, comes from per week. They can live up ognizable, even with small
Hawaii and means “very to a maximum of 5 years al- variations in these colors.
strong”. Dorado is based though very few reach that
on Spanish and refers to the age. Most become adults
golden yellow color that the within 1 year but many be- Dorado has clear differenc-
fish shines with under the sun. come reproductive after just es between adult females
Why it’s called Dolphinfish 5 or 6 months and reproduce and males. The male is larger
in English is not well defined very quickly too. and can easily reach 50 to
and while there are several They live in open water on 80 pounds and has a much
stories around this, none the surface most of the time. flatter head compared to
have been confirmed. Many fish seek them around the female. Therefore, male
(Oranjestad)—If you’re ever Dorado has many different sushi lines or floating objects Dorados are also called “bull
planning on snorkeling dur- names it can be referred to. Dorado is found in all tropi- on the sea. Often you will Dorado”.
ing your vacation on Aruba, Dral, Dorao, Drals, Drado, cal to subtropical oceans find a group landing togeth-
you may spot fish that you are some of them in Papia- around the world. Dorado er and if you keep a male on Dorado can be found in our
can’t recognize. One of mento. In English, it is also is very popular both for rec- the line, often the others will waters around the island all
these may be the “Dorado”, called Mahi Mahi, Dolphin- reational fishing and for con- stay close or can keep the year round, but there are
a common fish that swims fish, or Dorado. It’s a good sumption. It is known among group interested by giving periods when it is easier to
all year long in the waters example to reflect on why fishermen as an exciting shrimp or squid. find than others.q
of Aruba. Here’s some infor- there can be many names. catch and a fish that puts
mation about the beloved The same fish becomes up a good fight. Its meat is Description: Source: The Department of
Dorado. known by different com- very good for consumption Dorado has a distinctive Agriculture, Livestock, and
Fisheries (Santa Rosa).
mon names, why? Common and it is also commercially body. It has a large tail and