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                                                                                                           local Saturday 22 June 2024

            The district of Savaneta

            A quick history guide to the island’s first capital



                                         Alonso  usually  didn’t  stop
                                         at  every  island  or  land  he
                                         saw,  especially  not  in  the
                                         Caribbean. He would often
                                         take  notice  of  land  from
                                         afar  and  continue  sailing.
                                         However, Aruba was an ex-
                                         ception. He had heard that
                                         there  were  “quebracho”
                                         trees  on  the  island,  which
                                         were  commonly  used  to
                                         produce  dye  or  paint.  But
                                         since these trees could not
                                         be  found  in  Savaneta,  he
                                         continued to search in the
             Alonso de Ojeda
                                         area of what is now known
            ( O r a n j e s t a d ) — B e f o r e   as  Santa  Cruz.  The  best
            Oranjestad  became  the      way  to  transport  the  tree
            island   nation’s   capital,   barks was via a route pass-
            Aruba’s first capital was the   ing through Savaneta, and
            district  of  Savaneta.  Here   so  the  first  road  between
            is  where  the  cultural  iden-  Savaneta  and  Santa  Cruz
            tity of Aruba was born, and   was made.
            from  where  the  rest  of  the
            island developed into what   The  Dutch  colonial  era
            it is today.                 (1636-1805)
                                         During  the  80-year  war                       Commandeursbaai (Commander’s Bay) at Savaneta
            Savaneta  is  said  to  have   between  The  Netherlands
            been the first place where   and  Spain,  Dutch  explor-  In  1636,  when  the  Nether-  what is now “Horse Bay” in  born.  Before  the  Aruban
            the  Caquetio  inhabitants   ers  and  merchants  began  lands won the war against  Oranjestad.  Because  the  Gold  Rush  and  the  con-
            first  stepped  foot  on  the   to  travel  to  the  ABC  is-  Spain,  the  country  surren-  highest office on the island  struction  of  the  Refinery  in
            island.  Though  there  isn’t   lands. Once they landed in  dered  the  islands  to  the  moved  away  from  Sava-  San Nicolas, most residents
            hard evidence to back this   Aruba,  they  deported  the  Dutch.                       neta, the capital lost its title  were  farmers,  and  Sava-
            up, but considering the leg-  small Arawakan and Span-    The  Dutch  administration  to  what  was  called  then  neta  had  many  inhabit-
            end of the Cacique Arua, it   ish community that was liv-  appointed   the   island’s  Playa.                       ants that farmed fruits and
            is believed that there were   ing  on  the  island.  This  was  first  commander,  an  Irish                        vegetables. They also con-
            already  movements  on       the  beginning  of  coloniza-  man  named  N.  Williams.  How Savaneta got its name    tinued the tradition of rais-
            Aruba—and      Savaneta—     tion  of  the  ABC  islands  by  Because  the  Dutch  were  The  name  Savaneta  prob-  ing cattle, like goat, sheep,
            around 88 AD.                the  Dutch  empire.  Around  interested  in  other  Carib-  ably  has  a  Spanish  ori-  pigs  and  horses.  Savaneta
                                         the  same,  the  West  Indian  bean islands and countries  gin.  It  was  said  that  when  was one of the first places
            The  Caquetios  probably     Company (WIC) was born.  in South America, they im-       the  Spanish  climbed  a  hill  on  the  island  to  have  a
            made  their  way  to  the  is-  Bonaire and Curacao were  ported  Dutch  merchants  called Yara, they saw that  general  farming  culture.
            land either from Venezuela,   mostly used for plantations,  and  business  men,  all  of  the  area  was  mostly  open  From this culture, many oth-
            Colombia  or  other  Carib-  where the Dutch had trans-   whom resided in Savaneta.  and  had  no  big  trees.  In  er traditions were born, like
            bean islands in the region,   ported  slaves  from  Africa.  This way, Savaneta official-  Spanish, such a land area is  the Dera Gay Holiday that
            but  with  good  weather  it   Aruba, on the other hand,  ly became the island’s first  called a “sabana”.          we  celebrate  every  year
            was relatively easy for them   was  mostly  used  to  raise  capital.                                               on June 24th. q
            to travel back and forth in   cattle  and  to  house  the                              Because of its land surface,
            their canoes. So, since the   haring  factory.  The  Dutch  However,  at  the  end  of  Savaneta  was  a  great       Source: Historia di Savaneta
            Caquetios  discovered  the   had often forced the indig-  the 18th century, the com-   place  to  construct  cattle   (History of Savaneta) by Adolf
                                                                                                                                                “Dufi” Kock.
            island, Aruba found her first   enous  community  to  work  mander  at  the  time,  J.R.  farms. From here, the farm-
            form of civilization.        for them.                    Lauffer, moved his office to  er  culture  on  Aruba  was
            It  wasn’t  until  1499  when
            Aruba  met  another  group
            of people who set foot on
            the  island:  the  Spanish  ex-
            plorer Alonso de Ojeda. De
            Ojeda  first  took  notice  of
            Aruba off the coast of Ven-
            ezuela,  during  his  explora-
            tion  of  the  Latin  American
            country.  This  was  on  Au-
            gust  9th,  1499.  However,
            de  Ojeda  didn’t  actually
            sail  to  the  island  till  4  days
            later, on August 23rd, 1499.
            This  was  the  beginning  of
            the  Spanish  era  on  Aruba
            (1499-1636).                                               “Quebracho” (Kibrahacha) tree; used to make dye and paint
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