Abstract: The objective of this paper is to describe and analyze the current level of threat posed by Spanish to Aruban Papiamento. After a brief description of the importance of the study of language threat, the article provides an extensive historical account of how Papiamento has been maintained and has thrived over the past two hundred years on the small island of Aruba. Special attention is paid to the influence of the latest influx of Spanish-speaking immigrants upon the maintenance of Papiamento and the extent to which these immigrants and their language have been perceived as a threat to the local language.