Cas di torto

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Restored cas di torto

Cas di torto is the name for the traditional construction of the historic Aruban houses of the settlers and plantation workers from the 18th century.

Origin of name

The name Cas di torto probably comes from the Spanish name Casas de “Torta” , which the settlers brought to Aruba from the Paraguaná peninsula in Venezuela . Torta in Spanish, means cake and refers to the clay construction applied in layers. In the Creole language Papiamentu these dwellings were then called Cas di torto, Cas di lodo or Cas di bara .

They were built until 1925 and were quite common outside of the urban areas in the Cunuku lands - where the plantation workers and their large families lived. The oldest Cas is in Savaneta .

Today there are still around 62 Cas di torto, some of which have fallen into disrepair. Three of them, in very good restored condition, are in the Arikok National Park . Further restorations are planned.

These mud houses are remarkably cool inside and perfectly adapted to the climate.

description

Construction

The construction essentially consists of four outer walls, which were anchored in the ground from vertical round wooden poles at a distance of around half a meter from one another and connected horizontally with a crossbar made of poles. The rafters, which were made from the heartwood of the columnar cacti, were placed on the outer walls.

Before 1815 the houses had only a roof made of corn stalks (Pal'i maishi). After 1815, the roof consisted of thin round timbers from the columnar cacti that ran across the rafters and were then filled in layers with clay and plastered like the outside of the house. The roofs and facades were plastered from a mixture of clay sand, water and chopped up carib grass (Urochloa mutica), also called buffalo grass and used as animal feed. Finally, the cas di torto were coated several times with a water-repellent layer of lime and the juice of the aloes . This gave the houses an extra layer of weather protection and the white appearance. The lime was produced in specially built lime kilns.

inner space

Usually the Cas di Torto had a small kitchen with a fireplace, a living room and two bedrooms in which the residents slept on straw mats. In the corner of the kitchen there was a water tank (tanki), consisting of a thick wall made of clay, which was also painted several times with a water-repellent layer of lime and aloe juice and was covered. The water supply for the family was kept cool by the internal construction.

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