Arima’s history has many facets: the town council met at Arima Town Hall, while the remains of the walls of a former ice factory were once part of community life. A gentle climb up many steps leads to the Cannon on Calvary Hill; from the hill, you can enjoy a view of the Borough of Arima.

City History and Places of Remembrance

The town council met at Arima Town Hall to conduct the city’s affairs. According to the National Trust, it continues to do so there today. The building therefore represents an ongoing municipal function, not just a historical period in Arima’s past.

The original Torrecilla Ice Factory offers a different perspective on the past: its wall remains were a central part of community life in Arima in the early 20th century. Together with the town council’s work, which is still described today, this allows the city’s history to be viewed from different perspectives.

The Statue of Hyarima stands on Hollis Avenue in central Arima. It honors Chief Hyarima, a Nepuyo chief who was born in the early 17th century, escaped Spanish enslavement, and became a leader of Amerindian resistance. The statue connects a specific place in the city center with a story of resistance and leadership.

The Arima Dial is a publicly owned public heritage object. Historically, it was placed in the center of the city. Check current access before visiting. Its designation as a heritage object and its historical location give the Dial a different significance from the Statue of Hyarima, which honors a particular person and their story.

Climb and Views over Arima

The climb to the Cannon on Calvary Hill is described as easy, but it involves many steps. From the hill, you can enjoy a view of the Borough of Arima. For planning purposes, keep both details in mind: the stated difficulty and the explicitly noted steps. The viewpoint offers a different focus from the city history associated with Town Hall, the factory wall remains, and the monuments.

Trinidad and Tobago: A Broader Travel and Cultural Context

Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic country in the southern Caribbean, northeast of Venezuela and south of Grenada. The country covers 5,128 square kilometers and consists of the two main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, as well as 21 smaller islands. Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two main islands.

On Tobago, the Main Ridge Forest Reserve covers 3,958 hectares of tropical rainforest, including lower montane rainforests, lowland rainforests, and xerophytic rainforests. The Main Ridge extends lengthwise over about two-thirds of Tobago’s land area; the reserve was established by the British in 1776. Its rainforest provides habitat for the rare white-tailed sabrewing (Campylopterus ensipennis), which is endemic to Tobago. This offers a distinctly different landscape perspective within the broader destination.

Trinidad and Tobago’s cultural context also includes the annual Santa Rosa Festival, which is closely associated with the Santa Rosa Roman Catholic Church. It is one of the Caribbean’s oldest Indigenous celebrations and brings together Catholic tradition and Amerindian heritage. For trip planning, this context helps distinguish Arima’s city history from the wider cultural themes of the broader destination.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Arima, Western Tobago, Diego Martin, San Juan-Laventille, San Fernando, Eastern Tobago, Sangre Grande, Couva-Tabaquite-Talparo.

Go to the main travel overview: Trinidad and Tobago.