In the 17th century, access to Latin America became important to the Dutch because of its abundant raw materials and trade opportunities. Raw materials were traded and imported to Europe, while other products, such as jenever gin, were exported from the Netherlands to the Caribbean region. At the center of this economic activity stood Aruba and Curaçao as a strategic transshipment hub, for trade between the continents. Jenever, or ‘Bols’, is an alcoholic beverage similar to gin. Despite its high alcohol content, its alleged medical properties (for blood circulation) meant that historically, it was prescribed for medicinal use. The drink was produced in the Netherlands and came in glazed ceramic bottles. Roy Feliciano, a museum collaborator/collector, notes that many of the various ceramic bottles of gin found in Aruba have the name Amsterdam or Bols written on them.

“The family tradition has continued, and nowadays it is with my grandchildren that I venture out searching for artifacts”

Every Sunday Roy and his father-in-law would hike around Aruba in search of artifacts to collect (resulting in a vast cultural heritage collection) On many of these outings they would find gin bottles, sometimes half-buried in the sand. This specific bottle was found around the Phosphate mines in San Nicolas. Mines that brought migrants from the immediate region such as Venezuela, Colombia, and Curacao to our shores. The miners drank the gin for its alleged medical benefits, or merely for enjoyment, or relaxation after a hard day’s work acquiring a taste for it and taking some home on their return. Roy still remembers the ceramic bottles being kept around the house in his childhood, just like in any other traditional Aruban home. Nowadays, these beautiful ceramic bottles have long been replaced by glass versions.