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The Guaiacum officinale, Roughbark lignum-vitae, or Wayaca trees seen here at the entrance of Ayo, are true woods of life, because of, amongst others, their medicinal use in the Caribbean. The Wayaca is indigenous to Aruba and was used by the Caquetios, who settled here between 900 and 1000 A.D.
The Caquetios predominantly cultivated crops and settled in villages near fertile agricultural grounds and natural sources of water. Whereas Archaic communities, which arrived on the island 3500 years ago, were dedicated to fishing, hunting, and gathering. They were the first to introduce agriculture to the island and preferred coastal and limestone-dominated landscapes for their mostly nomadic lives.
Curious about Aruba's rich archaeological heritage?
Visit our National Archaeological Museum in Oranjestad.
Tonalite is easily recognizable by the intertwining black and white minerals.
These are named feldspars and quartz, respectively. Look behind you, you will notice an outcrop of a black rock. This is gabbro and part of the batholith. Go ahead, be an Aruban geologist for a day, and try to identify these rocks in other attractions you visit.
This landscape at Ayo has inspired many creators from prehistory on. Early in the 20th century, mainly painters were drawn to these surroundings. Expressions of contemporary creatives include photography, poetry, song, dance, and design.
Ayo’s flora and fauna have been subjected to many changes since the arrival of the first inhabitants to the island.
The flora back then would have been dominated by the Kwihi (Prosopis juliflora), the Watapana (Caesalpinia coriana), the Wayaca (Guaiacum officinale) and the Cadushi (Cereus repandus). Indigenous and endemic fauna would have included the Conechi/Coneu (Rabbit, Sylvilagus floridanus) and numerous bird species like the Shoco (Burrowing owl, Athene cunicularia), the Prikichi (Brown-throated parakeet, Eupsittula pertinax arubensis), the Kinikini (Kestrel, Falco sparverius), the Warawara (Northern Crested Caracara, Caracara cheriway) and Trupial (Venezuelan Troupial, Icterus icterus).
Mainly Kwihis and Warawaras remind us nowadays of that environment encountered by first visitors. The latter is one of our most majestic birds of prey, whose name originates from indigenous Caquetio language.
The best place to spot mighty Warawara? On top of largest boulders here in Ayo, enjoying their ancestral domain.
How would an Ayo selfie look through time? The tonalite boulders would not have appeared to change much. However, the introduction of goats by the Spaniards in the 16th century started a drastic change to the vegetation of this landscape.
Most endemic trees were later replaced first by fruit trees and afterward by exotic ornamental vegetation during the years. Current visitors of Ayo remember a time when they came with their families to pick mangos and other fruits.
Ayo has remained a location for the community. School groups, trekking groups, yoga classes, and many others use the location for activities such as learning, exercise, and spirituality.
Upload your own pictures and compare them to past views.
Aruba is one of the only three locations of pictographs (rock drawings) in the southern Caribbean and the only place in the entire region where the colors white and red are combined in a single pictograph shape. Amazingly, around 458 depictions have been recorded at 33 sites across the island.
Although experts are not aligned on what exactly these drawings represent, they all agree that the paintings are evidence that Ayo was a sacred site for our indigenous community.
A sample of the colors at Ayo were analyzed for dating in 1996 and even though no clear conclusion could be drawn from the results, they indicate a date between 1043–1275 A.D. for one white-colored pictograph. Archaeologists believe that the red drawings are older than the white ones.
The red and white drawings on this boulder often overlap, yet 27 pictographs have been documented.
Can you identify them all?
In 1825 the name Ayo appeared on one of the first detailed maps of Aruba. Nevertheless, property deeds at the National Archives of Aruba, dating back to 1954, have the names Ajo or Ajó for this area.
Archaeological finds in the form of pottery shards, shells, and overlapping colored rock drawings are evidence that this area was visited by indigenous communities as early as 900 A.D. Experts believe Ayo to be a place where spiritual leaders (shamans) were introduced, and rituals related to the sacred and spiritual world were performed.
The word “Ayo” is connected to late medieval Spanish, meaning guardian, caretaker or educator of youngsters. It was used in the 13th century to indicate the person in charge of the education of children of nobility and rich. In Aruba it was also common for Spanish colonizers to replace indigenous names for sacred places with names in their language such as Santa Cruz and Alto Vista.
Did you know that Aruba was formed from an underwater volcanic eruption during the Cretaceous period? The group of rocks created during this geologic event is known as the Aruba Lava Formation.
The large boulders that you see here at Ayo were formed during later geologic activity that occurred approximately 88 million years ago. Magma intruded the Aruba Lava Formation to create a new group of rocks, referred to as a batholith.
Tonalite is part of this batholith and is the rock that dominates the landscape here at Ayo. The tonalite boulders are characterized by what geologists refer to as spheroidal weathering. This type of chemical decay of the rock is mainly because of rain and is nowadays also referred to as onion skin weathering. Hence the round and concave rock shapes have intrigued visitors for hundreds of years.
Ayo is a cultural and natural site attracting thousands of visitors on a yearly basis. Through the informative trails, Ayo's visitors are empowered to consciously explore this sacred indigenous site and contribute to the conservation and protection of the natural wonders found in this area as well as our cultural heritage.
These initiatives form part of Aruba's current sustainable development efforts. By collaborating with local and international stakeholders and researchers, Ayo and other precious land and seascapes can be safeguarded for future generations to explore and enjoy.
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