I joined the walking tour in Rancho, don’t get intimidated, around 3,000 steps in the vicinity of Flor da Oriente, in Oranjestad. Stichting Rancho, dedicated to the historical and cultural heritage of the neighborhood organized the activity on Betico Dag.
The response to the walking tour was positive, there were about 60 Dutch, Papiamento & English-speaking history buffs in my group, some with impressive cameras, ready to snap architectural and visual gems.
Rancho is the cradle of Oranjestad, a triangle of cunucu-style homes, south and west of the first built St Francisco church. The roofs are slanted in an effort to collect rain water, all doors face south. The early houses, built mid 19thcentury, were made of sticks and mud, the later ones, built early 20th century when the Harbor opened importing better building materials, were made of bricks and mortar.
The foundation identified and named five interesting alleys, reflecting an overview of the urban development of Oranjestad, and we followed that trail.
The people who lived in the Rancho area at the time, were fishermen, enjoying the close proximity to the ocean. Predictably, the neighborhood was also blessed by some entrepreneurs, Papa Chango who built a commercial Lime Kiln in his yard to satisfy the demands of the building boom in town; later Cornelis Henrik Eman built a water tank, a reservoir, cleverly supplying water to the neighborhood, up until WEB Aruba took that job over and closed his business down.
Two more thriving livelihoods were gambling and prostitution, operating within a short walk from the harbor. Think visiting sailors.
Today, residents hang out, some peddle drugs, some sell snacks, the area is depressed and falling apart, except some areas of revival, Flor Da oriente, Architect Raffy Kock, Lawyer Doris Canwood, and some iconic businesses Panaderia Moderna, Kowloon restaurant, U Wanna Beer.
While the old structures are crumbling, revealing their stick and stone guts, most buildings in the narrow alleys are in different states of disrepair.
The island’s Monument Fund purchase, as in a lot of money, the Lime Kiln and the Water Tank, both unique and important parts of the island’s heritage, nothing has been done to either restore or preserve them.
The discussion in ongoing: Should they be restored to their original state, or should they be preserved, in their current condition, just supported against further damage??
Clifford Rosa was our tour guide. A self-appointed chairman to the foundation, a story teller, a curator of history, a consummate volunteer.
His project faces many challenges, mainly no funds. Also, no legal structure, no masterplan. The previous government applauded his efforts under the ‘culture’ umbrella, but did not anchor the initiative by law. So, under our new government, the project has no status, it’s sort of hanging, until someone picks up the ball. And though our MinFin, who is also in charge of Culture, is from the adjacent neighborhood, she hasn’t visited the project yet. Xiomara, please visit, our monuments are in danger.
One shocking aspect of Rancho, a successful fighting cock business, at Fishermen’s Alley, a breeder and trainer who runs a small arena, and raises dozens of bare-ass cocks in plain view, and against the law.
He is part of the cultural heritage of the area, says Clifford, just like bull-fighting in Spain: You can take the savage out of the jungle, but you can’t take the jungle out of the savage!
One of our walking tour members summed it up for me: Meimei Tuna & Cadushi, Mi Ta Biba Dushi. Mid cactus, I live well — meaning perhaps that in spite imperfections, we may have a good life and learn to live with thorns; be content with what you have, just like the resident of the barrio who just hang out!
