The Caquetio Indians from the South American mainland were Aruba's first inhabitants. During the Pre-ceramic Period of habitation (2500 BC – 1000 AD), they were fishers-hunters-gatherers who depended on the sea for survival and used tools of roughly flaked stones and shell. They lived in small family groups and fished along Aruba’s coast at locations now named Malmok and Palm Beach. During the beginning of the Ceramic period (1000-1515 AD), five large Indian villages were founded on the best agricultural soil, producing corn and yucca. They made coarse pottery as well as fine well-crafted pieces.
In 1499, explorer Alonso de Ojeda claimed Aruba for the Spanish throne and named it 'la isla de los gigantes' (the island of giants). After a decade, Aruba’s moniker was changed to 'isla inutÃl' (a useless island), as no gold or treasures were found.
In 1513, the entire Indian population was enslaved and taken to work on the Spanish estates in Hispaniola, now the Dominican Republic and Haiti. In 1515, some Indians returned while others arrived from the mainland and lived in small villages in the northern part of the island. Under the Spanish rule, the Indians were recruited as laborers for cattle and horse breeding.
Aruba’s strategic location was recognized by the Dutch who initially occupied the island in 1636 to protect their salt supply from the mainland and establish a naval base in the Caribbean during their 80-year war with Spain. Aruba remained in Dutch hands, except for a brief hiatus under English rule from 1805-1816, during the Napoleonic Wars.
