Onima Caquetio Rock Art

At Onima on Bonaire's northeastern side, a limestone terrace runs along under overhangs, and the undersides carry drawings made in red by the Caquetio, the Arawak people who lived on the island before the Spanish arrived. The figures are geometric, small and repeated, and they run in groups along several metres of rock. A short path and a few signs mark the accessible section. Similar drawings survive at several other points along this coast, but Onima is the one with a path and signage, and the others take local knowledge to find at all.

What you actually see

• The red drawings - Caquetio figures painted on the undersides of the overhangs.
• The limestone terrace - the ledge the paintings run along.
• The geometric forms - small repeated figures rather than scenes.
• The pre-Spanish date - work by the Arawak people who lived here before contact.

When to go

Year round. Morning light reaches under the overhangs best. The road is rough after rain.

Honest expectations

The paintings are small and faded and take looking for. Interpretation is minimal. The unpaved road in is rough and there are no facilities.

Nearby

Rincon is west, and Gotomeer is northwest.