Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another edition of the Sly N Snide tour guide!

It’s yours truly, Beach Lama here for another little journey through the history, culture, society, sights, sounds and feels of Aruba. Today we are going to talk about the Arubian Coat of Arms. Aruba officially unveiled its coat of arms on the 15th of November 1955. The initial design was made by the Atelier van Heraldische Kunst Amsterdam by one WJD

Posthumus… Posthumus…
Really??

Posthumus…You see, this is the part where I would usually try (with mixed results) to insert a joke or pun. But I’ll leave that up to your imagination. The government of Aruba then adapted the design to better reflect the Arubian Identity. Resting atop the coat of arms there’s the red lion that symbolizes strength and generosity.

On the top left corner, you can see the aloe plant representing Aruba’s first big industry and source of income. The bottom left corner illustrates two red-colored hands shaking symbolizing the friendly bond between Aruba and other nations.

In the top right corner of the coat of arms you can see an illustration of Haystack Hill or as we call it Hooiberg which symbolizes the island rising from the Caribbean sea. The wheel or rudder in the bottom right corner symbolizes the industry that currently is the most important for the development and sustainability of the island.

The white cross in the middle of the coat of arms represents faith and devotion (piety). The laurel at the bottom represents peace and friendship.

So… ladies and gentlemen that in a nutshell is the description of the Arubian Coat of Arms.

Just so you know I’ve oversimplified it a bit for the sake of time and information retention. I hope you enjoyed the tour and like I always say once a guest always a friend!

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