Aruban Politics and History

 Aruba has been continuously developing for years and years, the first known inhabitants were the Caiquetio Indians of the Arawak tribe from Venezuela. Throughout 2500 BC - 1000 AD, the tribe fished, hunted, and gathered food, depending mainly on the sea for their survival. They handcrafted tools out of rough stones and shells, and lived in small groups in the coastal areas now known as Malmok and Palm Beach. 

 Throughout 1000 - 1515 AD, these Indians established five villages and started growing produce such as corn and yucca. Smaller replica versions of two of these Amerindian villages and a representation of an Amerindian dwelling, can all be seen at the Archaeological Museum of Aruba/ The museum also contains the remains of ceramic urns, coarse pottery, and jewelry made by the Caquetios, with some of the artifact fragments dating all the way back to 1000 AD.

 Rock drawings and carvings made by the Caquetios have remained visible throughout years, and you can still see them with your own eyes at Fontein Cave in Arikok National Park and at the Ayo Rock Formations. The paintings suggest that the Caquetio Indians might have come to the island after fleeing attacks from the Carib Indians, who are indigenous to the northern part of South America. The Caquetio Indians were still on the island when the Spanish explorers discovered it years later.

 In 1499, Alonso de Odjeda, a Spanish explorer, discovered Aruba. This kicked off the colonization of the island by the Spanish. Due to the relatively low rainfall on the island, the colonizers did not believe that Aruba was a good home ground for plantations and/or crop growing. In 1513, the Spainards enslaved many of the Caquetio Indians and sent them to Hispaniola to work on plantations and in mines. Some Indians returned to Aruba in 1515 and were recruited as laborers for cattle and horse breeding operations. Approximately nine years after Alonso de Ojeda landed on Aruba, the Spanish Crown appointed him as the first governor of the island. Aruba remained under Spanish control for 137 years. Aruba has been under the rule of many different countries, however, it currently resides as a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Works Cited

Aruba, Aruba History, 2021.

https://www.aruba.com/us/our-island/history-and-culture/history

Wikipedia, Caves of Aruba, 2020.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caves_of_Aruba

Wikimedia, File:Archaeological Museum of Aruba 1.jpg, 2020.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Archaeological_Museum_of_Aruba_1.jpg

Wikipedia, Hispaniola, 2021.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispaniola