Today, most Arubans know the area of Sivi Divi as the location of St. Michael's Pavilion. Few realize that beneath the buildings and gardens lies a history that stretches back to the plantation era.
In 1850, the property was known as Werk en Rust and belonged to Frederik Lodewijk Scholten. Though modest in size—covering just 3.48 bunder (6,960 m²)—it formed part of Aruba's network of plantations that shaped the island's landscape during the nineteenth century.
More than two decades later, in 1873, the plantation received a new name: Sivi Divi. The change came ten years after the abolition of slavery, during a period in which Aruba itself was beginning to change. While the plantation remained, its identity evolved.
Over time, the land took on new purposes. What had once been a plantation became a country estate and later a place dedicated to care and healing. The property would eventually become part of San Pedro de Verona, Aruba's first hospital, before later serving as St. Michael's Pavilion.
Today, visitors may see a nursing home. Yet hidden within this familiar place is a reminder that Aruba's past can often be found where we least expect it.
