Archivo Nacional Aruba

Overview

Archivo Nacional Aruba (ANA) is the government agency responsible for the housing, care, and preservation of Aruba's archival records — documents, photographs, video, and audio — regarded as the island's national memory and cultural heritage.

History

ANA was established in August 1994 as Aruba's official records keeper. Its role includes centrally managing public and private records for historical research and cultural heritage, and monitoring archiving procedures and laws to ensure (semi-)government departments comply with them.

Collections, Holdings, and Publications

In 2024, ANA partnered with the Internet Archive to launch "Colección Aruba," a digital heritage portal hosting more than 100,000 digitized items, including the audiovisual and photographic collection of Bureau Voorlichting Aruba (BUVO), colonial-era governors' correspondence and journals, and historical land-ownership registers. The portal applies AI-based handwritten text recognition to make historical Dutch-language archival documents searchable.

Access and Usage

ANA is located at Sabana Blanco 60 in Oranjestad and is open to the public Monday through Friday mornings and early afternoons.