History of Aruba
Throughout its history, the tiny, unassuming island of Aruba has been shaken and stirred by foreign powers and interests. Somehow, like a perfect martini, it has managed to hold on to its distinctive flavor and proud identity.
Aruba attracted the attention of great European powers early on. The arrival of the Spaniards in 1500 was a rude awakening for the Arawak Indians. Originally from the South American mainland, they had lived peacefully in Aruba for 4,500 years. Searching for treasure in the region, the Spaniards optimistically named the island ruba oro (red gold), but soon placed Aruba on a list of useless islands. Indian occupation ended abruptly when the entire population was taken to work in the Spanish estates in Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti). In 1527, the Spaniards again turned their attention to colonizing Aruba; Indians were recruited as laborers for cattle and horse breeding and converted to Christianity.
The Dutch soon became interested in Aruba for its strategic location. In 1634, the Dutch West India Company, established in Curaçao, sent ships to explore Aruba. Two years later, the Dutch took control with little resistance from the Spanish. Peter Stuyvesant was named Governor of Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles. Unlike the Spanish, the Dutch interacted little with the Indians. It was not until 1754 that the first white colonist, Moses Levy Maduro, was granted entry, leading the way for the arrival of more Europeans at the end of the eighteenth century. Small farms bred sheep and goats and the horse trade grew in importance. With no harbor facilities, horses were thrown overboard and swam to shore at Paardenbaai (Bay of Horses), later named Oranjestad. Fort Zoutman, Aruba’s oldest building dating back to 1796, protected Aruba’s new capital.
Aruba remained in Dutch control, except for an eleven-year occupation by the English that ended in 1816. Gold was discovered in 1824; mining continued until 1916 with smelters located at Bushiribana and Balashi yielding 3,000 pounds. Phosphate was mined in San Nicolas for 35 years until 1914. Aruba became the largest producer and exporter of aloe at the beginning of the 20th century. The Lago Oil and Transport Company owned by Standard Oil of New Jersey began its own refining in 1927, importing many foreign workers. San Nicolas became a booming West Indian town, with English as its first language. The refinery was so crucial to the Allied effort in World War II that it was the target of the first German attack in the Western Hemisphere in 1942. One year after the closing of the refinery in 1985, Aruba achieved its status aparte, making it a separate autonomous entity within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Tourism then took center stage and has remained Aruba’s primary industry.
