Pre-ceramic age In Aruba's prehistoric era, there were distinct periods: the
Archaic or
Pre-Ceramic and the
Neo-Indian or Ceramic (Dabajuroïd) period. The Archaic occupation of Aruba continued well into the first millennium AD, which is relatively late compared to other parts of the insular Caribbean. The archaic lifestyle revolved around a food economy based on
fishing, hunting, and gathering, with a strong emphasis on marine resources. Ceramics were absent, as was horticulture and agriculture. Weapons and tools were predominantly crafted from stone. One notable site, Sero Muskita, yielded a tool that is older than other archaic age sites on the island. The finishing techniques and shape of this tool resembles one found at Arikok, suggesting a date before approximately 2000 BC. The presence of these tools on the island may be from occasional visits from the mainland. In total, 33 archaic age sites have been identified on Aruba.
Early human migration and cultural exchange During this period, the
Leeward Islands maintained connections and engaged in trade with mainland South America, particularly with partners in the present-day
Falcón-
Zulia state in
Venezuela and possibly the
La Guajira Peninsula (Venezuela/
Colombia). The specific language group to which they belonged remains uncertain. This theory is supported by the discovery of 60 to 70 Amerindian cemetery burial grounds in
Malmok and
Canashito. Burial sites at Canashito are dated between 100 BC to 100 AD.
isotopic research revealed that one of the individuals buried there was not from Aruba and had a different diet compared to the other four individuals of Aruban origin. This finding suggests that early
human migration and cultural exchange were already part of the cultural pattern of these archaic Indians at an early stage. it was deduced that they travelled in clans of 15 to 30 people. These groups were led by an adult man who was buried at the centre of the cluster. His elevated status was emphasised by the presence of several stones marking his grave. The rest of the family group was buried around him. The name Caquetío refers to how this group referred to themselves during their first contact with Europeans. They had longer and narrower skulls than the archaic population, and their height was up to . The newcomers brought pottery and agriculture to the islands and are therefore classified as part of the neo-Indian period. The Spanish
conquistadors interrupted this process of expansion at the time of the European contact (AD 1499–1535).
Political units and governance The Caquetío territory consisted of several small political units that were under the authority of lower "second-tier chiefs" who were subordinate to the highest authority. After the diao and the regional sub-units, such as the mentioned Guaranaos an Amuayes in Paraguaná, the village formed the third level of governance in the hierarchy of the chiefdom. Aruba had (not simultaneously) five villages: three larger ones Ceri Noca (
Santa Cruz), Tanki Flip (
Noord), and
Savaneta, and two smaller ones near
Tanki Leendert and
Parkietenbos, which have not yet been systematically studied. The location of Aruban villages varied. They were situated in places where beneficial agriculture land was available and where the most favourable
hydrological conditions prevailed, such as where several
rooi (
gullies) came together and where relatively much water was available. The yields from agriculture and fishing were supplemented by engaging in trade of raw materials and artefacts that were not locally available or producible. Sixteenth century sources indicate that the Caquetíos traded in, among other things, salt, canoes, tobacco, and beads. The Leeward Caquetíos certainly did not live in isolation but formed outlying regions of a dynamic chiefdom with regional trading networks. The Caquetío people were buried in clusters, both within and potentially outside village boundaries. At times, there was a secondary burial, possibly reserved for exceptional individuals. In the primary burial, the deceased were buried in a large pot, covered with a smaller pot placed on top. In a secondary burial, the body was initially buried without a pot, and after a few months or years, the bones were exhumed and reburied in smaller pots for a second time. Some pots contained grave offerings such as axes, shells, and pottery. The secondary burial method was practised until recently in South America. The striking similarity between the Neo-Indian burial practices in Aruba and the post-Columbian variant in Guajira justifies the assumption that the similar beliefs about life after death existed in both societies. Pyclas' skull was gifted to the former
Rijks Ethnographisch Museum, presently
National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden, with the mediation of
A.J. van Koolwijk. In 1500,
Juan de la Cosa drew the first map of the New World, which depicted the two Leeward Antilles known at the time. This was followed by the more accurate
Cantino map, created anonymously in 1502, which also showed an extensive landmass and mentioned the
Isla do gigante (Island of Giants) and
Isla do brasil (Island of Brasil)
. The location of the Isla do gigante southwest of the Isla do brasil suggest that it refers to Bonaire and Curaçao since Aruba is located more to the northwest. (
1500) In 1493, the year in which the
West Indian islands became known in Europe, the division between the secular (civil) and religious authorities in the New World had to be arranged. The newly appointed Spanish
Pope Alexander VI issued the
Inter caetera bull, granting the Spanish Crown sovereignty over the newly discovered territories and the responsibility of the holy task:
to send good, God-fearing men, who are earned and capable, to those islands and continents to teach the natives living there about the Catholic faith and instill in them good habits. In exchange for the papal approval of the treaty, Spain promised to vigorously carry out missionary work in the discovered territories. This gave Spain the right to evangelise the Americas and appoint and dismiss priests, blurring the separation between church and state in the region. In other words, the Spanish Crown was granted significant religious authority in the Americas, which was not strictly separate from the state and weakened the distinction between the religious and secular spheres—a key aspect of separation between church and state. Between 1513 and 1515, the Leeward Antilles, including Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire, were depopulated. Captain Diego Salazar led this effort, which affected an estimated 2,000 indigenous inhabitants from these islands, and likely more from Tierra Firme. This led to the violent conquest of the Caquetío kingdom. The appropriation of the Caribbean region turned out to be a failure for the Spaniards. The exploitation of the West Indian islands proved unprofitable, and gold mining on Hispaniola and
Puerto Rico declined. Spanish settlers moved elsewhere, and in 1569, the Spanish Crown banned settlement on the Caribbean islands by royal decree. This measure that did not apply to the leased islands of Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire. The colonisation of the large Caribbean islands, such as
Cuba, was encouraged while the small islands were abandoned. Most of the islands remained largely uncontrolled and undefended, making them a potential opportunity for northwestern European countries that wanted to break Spain's monopoly on colonising the New World. England, France, the Netherlands, and Denmark explored the possibilities of piracy and trade on the Caribbean islands. The curing or pickling process for herring was well established during the Middle Ages. After catching the herring, the packers would remove the internal organs, mix them with salt to create a brine, and pack them in barrels along with additional salt. While
Zeeland was not heavily involved in fishing, they were renowned for their salt whitening process, which was highly sought after throughout Europe. By 1816, Aruba possessed seven salt pans, all of which yielded salt of subpar quality. The salt production was just sufficient to meet the local demand. Aruban labourers, often assisted by donkeys, were tasked with gathering the salt, which was subsequently distributed among the island's inhabitants. Around 1924, salt extraction at
Rancho had limited benefits, primarily being used in the preservation of fish during shipping.
Paardenbaai (Horses' Bay) contained salt pans up until 1949 when it was dredged and disappeared beneath the sand. Aruba was then integrated into the
Colony of Curaçao and Dependencies, along with Bonaire. Throughout the 19th century, the island's economy evolved, centered around gold, phosphate (
Aruba Phosphate Company), and the aloe vera industry (
Royal Aruba Aloe), However, despite these economic activities, Aruba continued to be a relatively underdeveloped and economically disadvantaged region during this period. During World War II, the Netherlands was
occupied by Nazi Germany. In 1940, the oil facilities in Aruba came under the administration of the
Dutch government-in-exile in London, causing them to be
attacked by the German navy in 1942. In August 1947, Aruba formulated its first
staatsreglement (constitution) for Aruba's
status aparte as an autonomous state within the
Kingdom of the Netherlands, prompted by the efforts of
Henny Eman, a noted Aruban politician. By 1954, the
Charter of the Kingdom of the Netherlands was established, providing a framework for relations between Aruba and the rest of the kingdom. That created the
Netherlands Antilles, which united all of the Dutch colonies in the Caribbean into one administrative structure. Many Arubans were unhappy with the arrangement, however, as the policy was perceived as being dominated by Curaçao. Tensions mounted as Croes stepped up the pressure on the Dutch government by organising
a general strike in 1977. The closure lead to the loss of jobs, raising the unemployment rate to almost 20 per cent. The significant blow to the economy led to a push for a dramatic increase in tourism, and that sector has expanded to become the island's largest industry. At a convention in The Hague in 1990, at the request of Prime Minister
Nelson Oduber, the governments of Aruba, the Netherlands, and the Netherlands Antilles postponed indefinitely Aruba's transition to full independence. The article scheduling Aruba's complete independence was rescinded in 1995, although it was decided that the process could be revived after another referendum. ==Geography==