While Aruba might not have an extremely extravagant history like some of the other Caribbean islands, it does have some interesting legends. These legends are surely based on some truth I would say, but can we at least find some proof?

One of the most famous historical legends on Aruba is the one of “The Frenchman’s Pass”. The story goes that around 1620 a group of French pirates attacked Aruba. In that period, the island was mainly inhabited by indigenous people that came from the coastal zones of what is now Venezuela and Colombia. While officially claimed by the Spanish crown, there was no Spanish military presence as far as I can tell. The Dutch only came after having conquered Curacao in 1634. Legend has it that the indigenous people gave a good fight but had to retreat into nearby caves. The French decided to smoke them out, but the locals decided to remain in the caves and perished. The location where all of this happened still carries the name Frenchman’s pass, of Rooi Frances in Papiamento, till this day.

What evidence can be found? Around the 1620’s was the start of the era of the “buccaneers”.