The language was spoken along the shores of Lake Maracaibo, in the coastal areas of the Venezuelan state of Falcón, and on the Dutch islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao.

Some traveled west via the Meta River to the Venezuelan Andes and Colombia, leading to the emergence of the Guajiro and Paraujano languages.

[14] Around 500 BCE, the Caquetío language group separated from the Middle to Upper Orinoco areas,[15] migrated alongside the Apure River, and headed northwest to Venezuela.

The vocabulary of northwestern Venezuela was shaped by numerous Arawak communities along the coast of Falcón state and the Guajira Peninsula.

[17][18] Caquetío was spoken not only on the islands but also along the Venezuelan coast, particularly in the Yaracuy, Portuguesa, and Apure river regions, known as the states of Falcón and Lara.

[20] Indigenous names are prevalent in specific regions of Aruba, such as Sasiriwichi at the northwestern tip,[21] near the California lighthouse.

Additionally, the hilly areas in eastern Aruba, from Cashiunti, Huliba, Kiwarcu to Coashiati or Jamanota, and the north coast between Andicuri and Oranjestad, abound in Caquetío toponyms.

[22]Notably, many Caquetío words in Papiamento pertain to local flora and fauna, unfamiliar to European settlers and the African slaves who arrived in the area in early 16th century.