[3][4] The history of Aruba unfolds in three phases of indigenous migration—the archaic age (2500 BC–AD 1000), Neo-indian period (AD 1000–1515), and the post-European colonial era marked by Spanish and Dutch settlements.

[5] Rock art sites are abundant and represent a rare aspect of Amerindian heritage preserved in their original context.

Radiocarbon dating reveals a sequential occupation of Curaçao, Bonaire, and Aruba from the Venezuelan coast around 2500 BC.

On Aruba, a paint sample from one site yields a transitional date of A.D. 1000, marking the shift from Late Archaic to Early Ceramic periods.

[6] The Quadirikiri Cave is notable for its two large dome-shaped chambers which are illuminated with sunlight through holes in the ceiling.

[1][7] According to a local folk tale, the cave is associated with the story of an Indian chief's daughter who fell in love with someone her father did not approve of.

Long tongued bats nestle in the holes of the cave which go on their nocturnal hunt to collect and feed on food in the form of nectar and pollen.

It is interesting to watch when the bats, after sleeping in the caves during the day time, fly out in hordes in search of food.