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local Friday 13 September 2024
The district of Savaneta:

The capital before Oranjestad

(Oranjestad)—Before Oranjestad in the area of what is now known as
became the island nation’s capital, Santa Cruz. The best way to trans-
Aruba’s first capital was the district of port the tree barks was via a route
Savaneta. Here is where the cultural passing through Savaneta, and so
identity of Aruba was born, and from the first road between Savaneta and
where the rest of the island devel- Santa Cruz was made.
oped into what it is today.
The Dutch colonial era (1636-1805)
Savaneta is said to have been the During the 80-year war between
first place where the Caquetio in- The Netherlands and Spain, Dutch
habitants first stepped foot on the explorers and merchants began to
island. Though there isn’t hard evi- travel to the ABC islands. Once they
dence to back this up, but consider- landed in Aruba, they deported the
ing the legend of the Cacique Arua, small Arawakan and Spanish com-
it is believed that there were already munity that was living on the island.
movements on Aruba—and Sava- This was the beginning of coloniza-
neta—around 88 AD. tion of the ABC islands by the Dutch
empire. Around the same, the West
The Caquetios probably made their Indian Company (WIC) was born. Bo-
way to the island either from Ven- naire and Curacao were mostly used Commandeursbaai (Commander’s Bay) at Savaneta
ezuela, Colombia or other Carib- for plantations, where the Dutch had
bean islands in the region, but with transported slaves from Africa. Aru-
good weather it was relatively easy ba, on the other hand, was mostly
for them to travel back and forth in used to raise cattle and to house the
their canoes. So, since the Caquetios haring factory. The Dutch had often
discovered the island, Aruba found forced the indigenous community
her first form of civilization. to work for them.

It wasn’t until 1499 when Aruba met In 1636, when the Netherlands won
another group of people who set the war against Spain, the country “Quebracho” (Kibrahacha) tree; used to make dye and paint
foot on the island: the Spanish explor- surrendered the islands to the Dutch.
er Alonso de Ojeda. De Ojeda first with islanders at Zeerovers, a fisher-
took notice of Aruba off the coast The Dutch administration appointed What to do in Savaneta man’s wharf-cum-roadhouse prom-
of Venezuela, during his exploration the island’s first commander, an Irish The rustic charisma and relaxed at- ising a heady mix of local flavours.
of the Latin American country. This man named N. Williams. Because mosphere of this community beckons A counter near the entrance sells
was on August 9th, 1499. However, the Dutch were interested in other islanders looking for a casual retreat freshly caught fish to take away. Pa-
de Ojeda didn’t actually sail to the Caribbean islands and countries in from their busy lives, as well as visi- trons can also have the fish prepared
island till 4 days later, on August 23rd, South America, they imported Dutch tors looking for unfussy, authentic on the premises and then enjoy it
1499. This was the beginning of the merchants and business men, all of local charm. Relaxing days can be on the waterside deck among the
Spanish era on Aruba (1499-1636). whom resided in Savaneta. This way, spent at Mangel Halto, a gem of seasoned locals discussing the latest
Savaneta officially became the is- a beach located just north of Sa- town news over a few ice-cold beers.
Alonso usually didn’t stop at every land’s first capital. vaneta, where a dense network of
island or land he saw, especially not mangrove trees leads to an irresistibly Savaneta in Aruba is home to the
in the Caribbean. He would often However, at the end of the 18th cen- inviting expanse of shallow, aquama- Roly Bislick Olympic Pool complex,
take notice of land from afar and tury, the commander at the time, rine water, made remarkably placid the training grounds for Aruba’s elite
continue sailing. However, Aruba J.R. Lauffer, moved his office to what by the protective barrier reef further swimmers and synchronised swim-
was an exception. He had heard is now “Horse Bay” in Oranjestad. out. mers and host to many international
that there were “quebracho” trees Because the highest office on the competitions. The Marine Barracks
on the island, which were commonly island moved away from Savaneta, Savaneta’s proximity and easy ac- Savaneta is also based here, hous-
used to produce dye or paint. But the capital lost its title to what was cess to the sea has made this area ing the Royal Netherlands Navy,
since these trees could not be found called then Playa. popular within the local fishing com- the Netherlands Marine Corps, the
in Savaneta, he continued to search munity. Visitors will enjoy mingling Netherlands Coastguard and the
Aruban Military.

Savaneta restaurants are known for
their extremely fresh seafood and
varied cuisine with a Caribbean twist.

When you ask a local about their
favourite things to do in Savaneta,
the chances are that visiting Man-
gel Halto Beach is one of them. This
beach is like no other on the island.
It is a great snorkelling spot adorned
with beautiful mangroves, but what
attracts everyone to this Savaneta
gem is the laid back atmosphere!

Source: Historia di Savaneta (History of
Savaneta) by Adolf “Dufi” Kock and
Alonso de Ojeda Mangel Halto Aruba.com.