The Spaniards called the islands "Islas de los Gigantes" (Islands of the Giants) because the Indian population  was quite a bit taller than they were. Another name for the Leeward Islands was 'islas inutiles' (useless islands) because there was neither gold nor silver to be found and furthermore, they were unfit for agriculture. From this term 'inutiles' the name 'Antilles' was probably derived.

At that time, the Dutch were an enterprising people and sailed all the seas in the world.  For the herring fishing industry, they needed a lot of salt.  They got it from Spain and Portugal, but during the Eighty Years' War against the Spaniards, they were forced to look out for new salt pans, which they found in Venezuela and the Caribbean. Since their involvement in South-America was growing, they needed a foothold  in the Caribbean.  In 1634, the Dutch conquered Curaçao and used the island as a base of operations during the Eighty Years' War to attack the Spanish armada.  In 1636, the Dutch also occupied Bonaire and Aruba to prevent attacks from these islands. The Dutch West India Company (WIC) developed the Leeward Islands to become agricultural colonies. On Aruba, they began breeding horses and particularly goats. The amount of goats on the island increased at a certain moment in such a rate that Aruba was also called the "goat island". They also cut down so-called Brasilwood, which was brought to Amsterdam where it was rasped by convicts at the Rasphouse, the prison.  It was the basic material for red paint.

They also cut down so-called Brasilwood, which was brought to Amsterdam where it was rasped by convicts at the Rasphouse, the prison.  It was the basic material for red paint.
The almost total absence of black slaves may explain the strong Indian features on Aruba, compared to Curaçao and Bonaire. Only after 1770, black slaves came to the island, but in very limited numbers.

At a census in 1816, 564 out of 1732 inhabitants of Aruba were qualified as ’real Indians’. The majority was catholic. In fact, the colonisation of Aruba only took place at the end of the 18th century. The Bay of Horses (Paardenbaai) of Oranjestad was used as a layover harbor for the trade between Curaçao and the mainland of Venezuela. Some migration from Curaçao to Aruba came about as well.

Aloe The aloe plant has been grown on Aruba since the mid-1800. The climat and the dry soil are particularly suitable for the aloe culture.  The plant flourishes well here: the Aruban aloe has an aloin content of 22 %, while the content al aloin in the rest of the world is 15% at the most. Read more...