Croes: Aruba deserves a prominent monument honoring its Caquetío heritage

ORANJESTAD - In an opinion piece, Helena Croes argues that Aruba should give greater public recognition to its indigenous Caquetío heritage by erecting a prominent monument.

Croes refers to several historical chroniclers who described the Caquetío people in notably positive terms, often praising their appearance, stature and character. She cites Dominee Bosch, Galeotto Cei and Juan de Castellanos, whose writings portray the Caquetíos of Aruba and the surrounding region as attractive, strong and well-proportioned people.

Castellanos, in particular, referred to Aruba and Curaçao as “islands of giants” and identified the language of their indigenous inhabitants as Caquetío.

For Croes, the limited visibility of Aruba’s indigenous heritage in public spaces raises an important question: what happened to this part of the island’s identity?

She notes that the Central Bank of Aruba is one of the few institutions to have placed a Caquetío statue and argues that government should now establish a more prominent monument in a visible location such as Spaans Lagoen, Santa Cruz, Savaneta, Noord or Pos Chiquito.