Aruba History

The Caquetios Indians from South America were the first to arrive in Aruba, probably to escape from their enemies back home.  They left behind artifacts, painted symbols in caves and other relics which date back to about 1000 A.D.  Spanish explorer Alonso de Ojeda arrived in about 1499 and saw Indian settlements on the island.  The island became a colony of Spain and was ruled by a governor until 1636. 

In that year, after the Eighty Years' War between Spain and Holland, the Dutch took possession of Aruba and has remained in control of the island since then except for the periods from 1799 to 1802 and from 1805 to 1816 (during the Napoleonic War) when control was passed to the British.  Today, Aruba remains a part of the Netherlands, but is ruled by its own government.