Spanish Period - Oranjestad, Aruba - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

Aruba is an island and a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the southern Caribbean Sea, located about 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) west of the main part of the Lesser Antilles and 29 kilometres (18 mi) north of the coast of Venezuela. Together with Bonaire and Curaçao, Aruba forms a group referred to as the ABC islands. Collectively, Aruba and the other Dutch islands in the Caribbean are often called the Dutch Caribbean. (visit link)

The Aruba Historical Museum is located at 6 Zoutmanstraat in Oranjestad. It is housed within the oldest buildings of Aruba, the Fort Zoutman and the Willem III Tower.

The sign reads:

"The European encounter on Aruba took place around 1499. Because of the absence of precious metals, Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao were declare 'Islas Inutiles' (Useless Islands). In 1515, their inhabitants were deported to Hispaniola to work in the mines. After an unsuccessful colonization effort by Juan de Ampiés (1526-1533), the Spaniards used Aruba for cattle breeding and wood cutting. Small numbers of Indians from mainland were forced to migrate to Aruba to work for the Spaniards."

Group that erected the marker: Fundacion Museo Arubano URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link] Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: Zoutmanstraat, 6 Oranjestad, Aruba

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Date Logged Log   01/09/2024 DND.Fireman visited it