The Caquetios Indians from the Arawak tribe were among the first to settle upon this island. Painted symbols on limestone walls in caves found in Fontein, Ayo are all that all that remain of them on this island. These symbols, along with other artifacts, date back to about 1000 A.D. and can still be seen at the Museum of Archaeology.

The first European landed on Aruban shores centuries after the Caquetios Indians. Spanish explorer Alonso de Ojeda is thought to have arrived about 1499. After his arrival and the arrival of his people, the Caquetios Indians were quickly sent overseas to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, where they were put to work in the copper mines.

In 1636 the Dutch took possession of Aruba and continued to be in control for roughly two centuries. In 1805 the English took control over the island and remained in control for the next eleven years. In 1816 Aruba was returned to Dutch control once more and has existed within the Kingdom of the Netherlands ever since, while remaining independent.