Without a doubt, the first inhabitants of Aruba were the Caquetio Indians, part of the Arawak tribe who migrated from the mainland and settled on the island. Archaeological excavations into the Aruba history have shown that the Caiquetios have lived on Aruba for around 16,000 years, with major settlements in what we now know as Tanki Flip & Malmok (Noord), Santa Cruz, Canashito and Savaneta.

However, as I mentioned in the introduction, my main focus is on Aruba’s history starting in 1499, when everything changed with the arrival of Europeans. The world was transformed after Columbus’ discovery of the Americas, and Aruba was no exception.

Aruba’s first European visitor was a Spaniard named Alonso de Ojeda (1466 Cuenca, Spain – 1515 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic). Ojeda, a participant in Columbus’ second voyage, later embarked on a separate mission sponsored by Bishop Juan Rodríguez de Fonseca. During this expedition, he explored the coastlines of modern-day Venezuela and Colombia, and in September 1499, he landed on Aruba. Despite this discovery, Ojeda found no gold and labeled Aruba, along with Curaçao and Bonaire, as “Isla Inútil”—Spanish for “worthless island.”

One of my primary conclusions from this chapter, based on extensive research, is that from 1499 onward, Aruba’s population became a blend of Caiquetio natives, indigenous people from the mainland, and Spanish settlers.

Continue reading Aruba’s history:
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