Aruba - Adventure Guide to Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao - page 79

TIP: If you don't have a vehicle that will handle off-
road and poor-road driving, check your map for in-
land roads that lead from Noord, Paradera, and
Santa Cruz to some of the most interesting east-
coast sites.
Traveling to the Chapel of Alto Vista from Noord, look for a paved road on
the left leading to a water tank on top of a 200-foot hill. The view from the
top takes in the entire north end of the island and includes the high-rise
hotels on Palm Beach, the California Lighthouse, and the golf course at
Tierra del Sol.
Your first stop should be the peaceful Chapel of Alto Vista . It is often
called the pilgrim's church, and you'll feel as though you're making a pil-
grimage when you ramble up the winding cross-studded road to the tiny
yellow chapel. The white crosses marking the stations of the cross along
the road indicate this is a Catholic/Christian site, but people of all faiths
come here to think, meditate, or pray. A priest says mass in the church once
a week, and locals stop by regularly to offer adoration to the statue of the
Virgin Marie of Alto Vista.
Venezuelan missionary Domingo Antonio Silvestre supervised the con-
struction of the original church in 1750, with the help of Spanish settlers
and Caiquetio Indians. The present building was erected in 1952 with
funds collected on the island, and it is so tiny, stone pews had to be put up
outside to accommodate all who wished to attend services.
Did You Know? The statue of the Virgin that is on
display today is a replacement for one that was built
in 1950 in the Netherlands with funds donated by
Arubans. The original statue was destroyed by a
vandal in 1997. A 200-year-old cross that is now at
Santa Anna Church originally adorned the altar at
Alto Vista. One of the two graves near the chapel
holds the remains of the missionary Domingo Anto-
nio Silvestre.
A bit farther down the coast are the ruins of Bushiribana Gold Mill
above the surf at Boca Mahos. Gold was found on Aruba in 1824, suppos-
edly by a boy playing in a dry creek bed, and for several years locals were
allowed to collect the precious metal and sell it at a government-fixed
price. Thirty years later, the Aruba Island Gold Mining Company was
granted all rights to the cache and built the large smelting works at
Bushiribana. Today, you can climb around the tumbling-down heap of
rocks that once housed the mill. Photographers love to take pictures of the
impressive coastline from the highest points. The tapped-out gold mines
are located inland near Cero Gerard.