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Aloe
Aloe has dominated Aruba’s culture and landscape ever since the 19th century. Historians report that one-third of the island was once covered with aloe plantations. At the beginning of the 20th century, Aruba became the world’s largest producer and exporter of aloe. Its superior quality is a result of clay, moisture-retentive soil and use of fresh gel. The state-of-the-art Aruba Aloe Factory and Museum is still surrounded by acres and acres of aloe plants, harvested as has been done for centuries. Velvety creams, lotions, skin and hair products are on sale at the Aruba Aloe factory and retail outlets as well as at supermarkets, kiosks and resorts.
Handicrafts
Local artisans create unique and decorative items made of clay pottery and natural materials such as shells, sand, driftwood and kwihi wood. These souvenirs can be found at flea markets, stores and resorts, as well as at the weekly Bon Bini Festival. The djuco nut that washes ashore is polished and accented with gold filigree to create one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry.
Art & Photography
Local artists utilize canvas and multi-media to interpret the Aruban culture and landscape. The island’s friendly people and natural beauty are captured through the lens of talented photographers.
Stamps
Aruba’s colorful and artistic stamps celebrate Aruba’s unique history, culture and nature, and also have international themes. Post Aruba provides year packs of first-day-covers and postage stamps. New and innovative features have included triangular and glow-in-the-dark stamps; stamp sheets also contain decorative features. A stamp can be created from your own digital photo as part of a souvenir sheet with an Aruban design and map. (The Main Post Office is located in downtown Oranjestad. A new branch is opening at Palm Beach Plaza in the high-rise hotel area.)
Jewelry
Available materials have shaped the types of handicrafts found on the island. One of the most creative uses of natural products is in the crafting of "djuco" nuts into unique jewelry pieces. The djuco plant is not grown on Aruba, but the nuts wash up on shore, primarily from Venezuela. They are collected, polished and accented with gold filigree and can be found at some of the locally owned jewelry stores.
Pottery
Aruban-made ornaments for the home are best represented in the numerous pottery crafts that are made by various studios throughout the island. Artful shapes and pottery decorated with Aruban scenes of divi-divi trees and cunucu houses can be found at various souvenir shops and also sold at the weekly Bon Bini Festival in Fort Zoutman.
Miniature Aruban Art
Aruban motifs are often also found on painted works at local markets, but also beautifully displayed in the island's stamps series. The island's most respected artists, such as Ludwig de L'Isle, Nigel Matthew and Stan Kuiperi, are often commissioned in the creation of stamp series marking local events, holidays and flora and fauna. The Post Office's Philatelic Section not only sells the most recent editions of stamp series but also maintains past series of these miniature Aruban artworks. For more information, please contact filateliearuba@setarnet.aw.
Music
What better way to relive your Aruba vacation than to take home a music CD? Popular carnival tunes include the rhythmic fast-moving road march, the tumba of African origin, and the commentary-laden calypso. Traditional lilting steel pan music has expanded its scope to include easy listening, classical, salsa, jazz and reggae. Latin salsa and merengue and Aruban waltzes and boleros attract music fans of all ages.
Cigars
Aruhiba is a cigar produced and cultivated in Aruba by Benjamin Petrochi. Grown from Dominican and Cuban strains, Aruban tobacco offers a full, distinctive flavor in both its mild and strong varieties. Petrochi spent ten years perfecting the process, providing a singular experience for the cigar connoisseur. The cigar case has the Aruhiba logo and “Made in Aruba” stamp. The cigar shop is located in the historic Dutch windmill. Aruban cigars are permitted in the US.
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