WILLEMSTAD – “The earth speaks—if you know how to listen.” Under that theme, the National Archaeological‐Anthropological Memory Management Foundation (NAAM) will open its doors this Saturday, 21 June, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the third edition of the Curaçao Cultural Landscape Project (CCLP), titled “Suela ta konta” (“The Soil Tells the Story”).
The open day transforms NAAM’s heritage center into an interactive hub for archaeology, ecology, and cultural heritage, spotlighting stories that literally rise from the ground. Researchers will present preliminary results from this season’s fieldwork at Rif Sint Marie and Willibrordus—areas whose layered histories include the lives and resistance of enslaved communities.
From LIDAR to Goat Dung: Science Meets Storytelling
Over recent months, archaeologists and ecologists have combined traditional excavations with state-of-the-art methods such as geophysical surveys and LIDAR scanning to map hidden settlement traces, biodiversity shifts, and resource use through the centuries. Visitors will see how these findings help piece together Curaçao’s complex past.
The exhibition space is arranged in thematic “story zones,” where experts and community members converge:
Bida Animal den Antaño showcases animal remains—from seashells to goat pellets—revealing diet, trade, and environmental change.
Plantashi Sint Marie explores the plantation landscape’s human stories, focusing on those who lived and labored there.
Bista Skondí uses soil scans and digital maps to expose vanished structures and land-use patterns invisible to the naked eye.
Interactive corners invite the public to participate. Nos Palabra, Nos Historia offers an open mic and story wall, while Zona pa Mucha lets children uncover “artifacts” in a sandbox dig. In Archivo Silensioso, visitors can listen quietly to oral histories or jot down their own reflections.
Building a Living Archive
NAAM and its international partners stress that the day is more than a showcase of research. By encouraging questions, personal anecdotes, and dialogue with archaeologists and students, the foundation aims to create a living archive where Curaçao’s landscape “speaks” through both scientific data and community memory.
Admission is free, and all ages are welcome. For more information, visit NAAM’s website or follow the foundation’s social media channels.
