The History of Bonaire

Bonaire has a turbulent history. In this overview, we will take you through the different periods in Bonaire’s history. We start in the time when the island emerged from the sea. After that, you will learn all about the Caiquetios, the Spaniards, the Dutch, slavery, and the plantations. Finally, we will look at how the twentieth century, albeit with some delay, arrived in Bonaire. This way, you will not only learn more about Bonaire but also about the people who live there and the many traces from the past that can still be found today.

Are you a history enthusiast who loves to see traces of the past with your own eyes? During our tours, we visit numerous historical sites and share more about Bonaire’s rich history.

The Geology of Bonaire

Bonaire is a particularly diverse island thanks to its unique geology. Our journey through Bonaire’s history starts at the end of the Cretaceous period. This is the time when Bonaire emerged from the sea.

Bonaire is located where the Caribbean tectonic plate slides past the South American plate. Magma bubbles up between the plates, solidifying due to the cool seawater. This creates an underwater mountain formation of igneous rock. The tectonic plates continue to move, the magma continues to flow, and thus the peaks of the mountain formation grow above sea level. Seventy million years ago, Bonaire was born! To this day, Bonaire continues to rise, although it cannot prevent the lower parts of the island from threatening to disappear underwater due to rising sea levels.

The mountain formation of magmatic rock forms the basis of Bonaire. Around the former Plantation Washikemba, the igneous rock of the so-called Washikemba Formation is still visible on the surface. Admire it during the Red Hill Hike. It can also be admired at Rincon and in Washington Slagbaai National Park. Well-known hills (and trails) such as the Brandaris and Kashikunda are part of the Rincon Formation.

On the underwater mountain slopes, corals begin to grow, forming thick limestone layers over millions of years. These layers are pushed up along with the igneous rock and thus end up above sea level. This is how the typical limestone terraces and cliffs of Bonaire are formed. In various places, you can still find beautiful rock formations that remind us of the time when Bonaire was much lower. For example when you do the Scenic Drive to the North of Bonaire.

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The Time of the Caiquetio Indians

About 1500 years ago, an indigenous tribe from present-day Venezuela settled on Bonaire: the Caiquetios. They gave Bonaire its original name: Bojnaj. The Caiquetios lived in prehistoric times. They were hunter-gatherers living in wooden huts with clay walls. They used tools made of flint and bones. The Caiquetios of Bonaire were skilled fishermen who maintained a lively trade with the Caiquetios in Venezuela. They traded the fish they caught for maize, vegetables, fruits, and spices.

The Caiquetios believed in a rich spirit world and made offerings to keep the spirits favorable. The offering places were richly decorated with religious symbols. These indian drawings have been preserved for centuries. During our tours, we visit these sites and tell you much more about this unique tribe.

Before the Caiquetios settled on Bonaire, the island was regularly visited by nomadic tribes. On Curaçao, remains of these archaic Indians have been found, dating back 4500 years. Around 3300 years ago, these tribes also began visiting Bonaire. In the areas around the bokas of Washington Slagbaai National Park and at Lac Bay, ancient shells have been found that do not occur in the waters around Bonaire. Other than these, these visitors left behind hardly any traces.

The Spanish Period (1499-1636)

In 1499, the Spaniards were the first Europeans to set foot on Bonaire. It is highly likely that the explorer Amerigo Vespucci claimed the “discovery” of Bonaire, although Alonso de Ojeda is also mentioned. The Spaniards were searching for the sea route to the coast of India and hoped that Bonaire was one of the Indian foreislands, the “Ant-ilhas.” This is the origin of the word Antilles. At first the Spanish called Bonaire “Y. do Brasil”, Brazil Tree Island, after the large amount of these trees they found on the island. Soon they adopted the Caiquetio name Bojnaj, which would change to Bonaire in the course of history.

The Spaniards quickly spread throughout the region and searched for valuable metals such as copper, silver, and gold. On Bonaire, the Spaniards found none of these. Around 1513, they declared Bonaire an Isla Inútil, a useless island. The able-bodied Caiquetios were taken to work in the mines where valuable metals were found in the region. The other Caiquetios were brutally murdered.

But the Spaniards returned. For the workers in the mines, much food was needed, and Bonaire played a role in the food supply. Moreover, Bonaire was still a forested island. The Spaniards also needed the wood. In 1527, several Spanish ships arrived with livestock, fruit trees, and a group of about seventy Caiquetios. They were to do the heavy labor. The Spaniards settled in a valley in the north of Bonaire. This location was not visible from the sea, so it would not attract the attention of the many pirates. The Spaniards called their settlement Rincon. The village of Rincon still exists and will celebrate its five hundredth anniversary in 2027.

During the century the Spanish spend on Bonaire, much is destroyed. Trees are being cut down at a rapid pace, such as the Brazil tree that gave the island its first name. The Spanish are fond of the red dye in the wood. The livestock that roams freely on the island also has a devastating effect on this once forested island. Young trees are immediately eaten and never grow to maturity. To this day, you mostly see plants that The Wild Mammals of Bonaire don’t like, such as cacti, thorny bushes, and wild sage. Lastly, the Caiquetios deserve a place in the list of Spanish destructions. They are forced by the Spanish to convert to Christianity, which brings their unique culture to an end.

The Time of the West India Company (1636-1791)

In 1568, the Eighty Years’ War broke out between Spain and the Netherlands. This war was also fought at sea. The Dutch outsourced the sea war to the West India Company, a sort of state company. The food on board the Spanish and Dutch fleets was preserved with salt. The Spaniards produced their own salt, something that was impossible in the Netherlands. The Spaniards took advantage of this. As the war progressed, Dutch salt ships were successfully driven away from the European and North African salt harbors. The Dutch had to search further afield for the essential salt.

And so Curaçao came into view in this Dutch search. The island was suitable for salt production, had a strategic location, and a natural harbor where the fleet could be stationed. Moreover, sufficient drinking water could be obtained on the island, and enough meat could be produced. In 1634, Johannes van Walbeeck of the West India Company conquered the island from the Spaniards.

Out of fear of a Spanish counterattack on Curaçao from the neighboring Aruba and Bonaire, the West India Company also occupied these islands in 1636. To the Company’s surprise, they found extensive salt pans in the south of Bonaire. Bonaire was organized as one large plantation. Besides salt, mainly meat was produced for the troops on Curaçao. Meanwhile, Curaçao attracted fortune seekers, increasing the number of mouths to feed. Unlike Curaçao, free people were not welcome on plantation Bonaire. Only people working for the Company could stay on the island.

In 1640, Peter Stuyvesant sent the first ship full of African slaves to the ABC islands. This marked the beginning of this dark chapter in Dutch history. Many more slave ships would follow. Due to the inhumane treatment of the slaves on Bonaire, especially in salt production, Bonaire was nicknamed The White Hell. The slaves suffered painful wounds from working with salt, went blind from the sun’s reflection in the salt crystals, and spent nights in wet clothes under the stars. Thus, a slave on Bonaire typically survived between four to seven years!

Bonaire as a Government Plantation (1791-1863)

In 1791, the West Indian Company went bankrupt, and plantation Bonaire came into the hands of the Dutch Government, led by the king. Little changed for the slaves of Bonaire. However, in Europe, attitudes towards slavery and the “unchristian” treatment of the slaves began to shift, leading to the abolition of the slave trade in 1814. But this brought little change to Bonaire, except that the number of female slaves increased significantly from that year. The extra children were born as slaves. This practice, known as slave breeding, continued until the abolition of slavery on Bonaire.

More and more countries abolished slavery. In 1850, the Slave Huts of Bonaire were built to convince the outside world that the slaves on Bonaire were well treated. Fortunately, this scam did not work, and in 1863, the Netherlands ended slavery.

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Around the year 1800, Kralendijk begins to emerge. The settlement ban for free people on Bonaire, which was imposed by the West India Company, is not enforced by the government. Near Fort Oranje, on a coral ridge by the calm sea in the shelter of Klein Bonaire, more and more free people settle. This coral (Koralen in Dutch) ridge is soon called a dike (dijk): Kralendijk!

This period is often referred to as The Time of Confusion. Around 1800, there was a constant threat from the English and the French, who wanted to take possession of the ABC Islands. The English succeeded twice: from 1804 to 1805, Bonaire was briefly under English control, and again from 1807 to 1816. In the Treaty of Paris (1814), it was agreed that Bonaire would return to the authority of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. This took place two years later: in 1816, this time of confusion on Bonaire ended.

The Time of the Plantations (1868-WWII)

Without the free labor of the slaves, it was impossible to keep Government Plantation Bonaire running. The Dutch Government decided to divide Bonaire into pieces and auction them as separate plantations. The salt pans were also auctioned. Thus, Bonaire largely came into the hands of wealthy families in 1868. This marked the beginning of well-known Bonairean plantations like Plantation Slagbaai, Bolivia, and Karpata.

The Government failed, but these families succeeded in making a profit. Not only salted goat meat was produced on the plantations, but also goat hides and manure were traded. Additionally, shiploads of salt, aloe oil, castor oil, charcoal, and lime (calcium) left the island.

And these ships did not return empty. The wealthy families traded various imported products in their stores, where the real profit was made. Workers were not paid in cash but received credit that could only be spent in the plantation owner’s store. The difference between free and unfree people quickly turned into a difference between rich and poor.

Post-War Bonaire (1945-present)

World War II essentially brought Bonaire up to date. In the years following the war, developments occurred rapidly, transforming Bonaire from an agricultural to an industrial and commercial society. Flamingo Airport opened in 1945, and the first industry arrived in Bonaire in 1948. In 1963, the Overseas Gas and Electricity Company (OGEM) came to Bonaire and began the construction of the electricity network. Drinking water also started coming from a desalination plant. Additionally, in 1963, Akzo Nobel began commercial salt production, and in 1975, BOPEC started oil transshipment at the terminal near Lake Goto.

Since 1951, young Bonairians have been able to pursue technical education on the island, and in 1958, Bonaire’s first high school was opened. The opening of Hotel Zeebad (1951) and the Bonaire Beach Hotel (1962) marked the first steps toward tourism. The availability of electricity and running water was, of course, crucial for the development of tourism.

After the war, plantations quickly fell into disrepair. Plantation owners found it increasingly difficult to find workers. Who wanted to do that physical, unskilled work in the scorching heat? Moreover, the demand for products like charcoal, aloe oil, and lime decreased.

Thus, in 1958, work on Plantation Washington ceased. Ten years later, the land was sold on the condition that it would become a nature park. In 1977, Slagbaai Plantation was also sold under these conditions. Washington-Slagbaai National Park was established.

On the administrative level, much changes on Bonaire as well. Whereas before the war the island was mainly governed by the elite, the wealthy landowners, Bonaire becomes increasingly democratic after the war. In 1954, the Netherlands Antilles become an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In 2010, the Antilles cease to exist and Bonaire, along with Saba and Sint Eustatius, becomes a special Dutch municipality. In 2012, the Bonairians are allowed to vote for the first time in the parliamentary elections.

Traces from the past

Traces of the sometimes turbulent history can be found all over Bonaire, such as limestone cliffs, Indian drawings, slave huts, and dilapidated plantation houses. But the past has also left its mark on the population. The colonial history has inflicted deep wounds that have not yet healed. This sometimes makes the relationship with the Netherlands as the former colonizer difficult. On the other hand, the turbulent past has made the people of Bonaire resilient. The inhabitants of Bonaire are inventive and helpful. Together we make the best of it on this small dot in the Atlantic Ocean.

Curious about traces of the past? Want to take a deep dive into the history, culture, geology, and nature of Bonaire? Book one of our tours! We’ll make it a beautiful journey of discovery, full of exciting locations and fascinating stories.

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A tour with HopiBonaire

Discover the most beautiful locations of the island during a tour with HopiBonaire. Our tours are much more than just a drive around. Enjoy an intimate and personal experience, exclusively for you and your group, where you can explore the island at your own pace!

Love historical stories? We’re happy to tailor our tours to your preferences. We even offer the possibility for fully customized adventures. If you’re excited and eager to join us, please check out our tours.

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