CURACAO History

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Curaçao History
Two thousand years of migration spice this rich melting pot

By George Oxford Miller

Arawak natives occupied Curaçao from the time of Christ until Spanish adventurers arrived in 1499 to enslave them. Finding no gold and little arable land, the Spaniards took their new slaves and sailed off to Hispaniola. The Arawaks left their petroglyphs, still visible today, on the walls of Hato Caves.

In 1634, the Dutch West India Company found the perfect deep-water port at Curaçao. On strategic shipping lanes between Africa and the Americas, the island prospered through commerce in slaves and goods. The powerful Kurá Hulanda Museum, a shady oasis of cobblestone streets and gardens, sits right where the slave auction used to swirl, testifying to that sordid trade.
 

Guarding against invaders, the Dutch constructed Fort Amsterdam at St. Anna Bay. Today the fort looks much as it did in 1635 — yellow walls, white trim, red-tile roof — but serves as the governor's mansion. Visitors stroll the courtyard and view the 1763 Fort Church and 1857 Council of Ministers building.

In the prosperous 18th century, Dutch settlers established landhuizen — plantations of corn, sugarcane, and indigo — with palatial homes. The booming island attracted merchants from Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas. Fleeing the Spanish Inquisition, Jews flocked to the tolerant Dutch island, establishing the first synagogue of the New World in 1732, Mikvé Israel-Emanuel.

Architecture of the period gives Curaçao its unmistakable European Baroque style, done in Caribbean colors of guava, mango, and avocado.

When the Netherlands abolished slavery in 1854, Curaçao's economy collapsed. The landhuizen fell into ruin, but 55 have been restored, many as charming inns, restaurants, museums, and galleries. Landhuis Chobolobo, leading distillery of famous curacao liqueur, offers delicious tours.

Venezuela struck oil in 1914, and Curaçao flourished once again, as the Royal Dutch Shell Company built a refinery here.

Today, members of 65 ethnic groups spice this melting pot. Their music and cuisine fuse African, Spanish, Latin, and North American flavors. Art and architecture reflect Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, and Caribbean ingredients. Papiamento, the local creole, adds Dutch, Spanish, English, French, and African words to a rich base of Portuguese.

Simón Bolívar

Great Liberator of South America leaves a Curaçao island legacy

Simón Bolívar, great liberator of five South American countries, wasn't always welcome in his own hometown, Caracas. When Venezuela declared its independence in 1812, Spain retaliated with a heavy hand. Bolívar, a revolutionary leader, and his two sisters fled to nearby Curaçao, where a sympathetic Jewish merchant provided them with housing.

The sisters lived in what is now the Octagon Museum, which has an exhibit on Bolívar. His home, no longer standing, overlooked the Willemstad harbor, where he worked on his manifesto for a war of independence, which he announced later that year in Cartagena, Colombia. Bolívar - the George Washington of South America - eventually drove Spain from the New World and secured independence for Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. But after a lifetime of fighting colonial rule, El Libertador died penniless in 1830.

Bon Biní...
I ora nos ta leu foi kas
Nos tur ta rekorda
Korsou su solo i playanan
Orguyo di nos tur
Laga nos gloria kreador
Tur tempu i sin fin
K'e la hasi nos digno
Di ta yu di Korsou.

And when we are far from home
We do always remember
Curaçao, its sun and beaches
The pride of us all
Let us honour our Creator
All times and without end
That He has made us worthy
To be children of Curaçao.

Y cuando estamos lejos del hogar
Siempre pensamos
En el sol y las playas de Curazao
Nuestro orgullo
Gloria a nuestro Creador
Por siempre y eternamente
Porque nos ha hecho dignos
Hijos de Curazao.

This is an excerpt from Curaçao's national anthem.
 
 

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History of Curaçao
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 This article is an orphan, as few or no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from other articles related to it. (September 2006)

The island of Curaçao was first settled by the Arawaks, an Amerindian people native to the area. They are believed to have inhabited the island for many hundreds of years before the arrival of Europeans.

European presence began around the year 1500, when groups were sent out to extensively map the borders of South America and the surrounding islands. Spanish interest quickly waned, however, as they discovered that there was no gold on island and farming was difficult because of a lack of fresh water.

By 1634, the government-backed Dutch West India Company had claimed Curaçao for its own and began to settle the island in earnest. Plantations were erected and farmers began growing corn and peanuts as well as the native fruits. The saltwater ponds that prevented irrigation would soon prove themselves invaluable, as the economy of the island shifted to salt mining and international export. But saline ponds were not the only advantageous geographical features to be found here. The deep water and natural barriers surrounding the island's ports made them popular with Caribbean traders. The capital city of Willemstad became particularly well-known, as it played host to merchant ships under every flag imaginable.

For much of the 17th and 18th centuries, the primary business of the island was the slave trade. Slaves arrived often from Africa and were bought and sold on the docks in Willemstad before continuing on to their ultimate destination. The slaves that remained on the island were responsible for working the plantations established earlier. This influx of inexpensive manpower made the labor-intensive agricultural sector far more profitable and between holland and china the trading done on the docks and the work being done in the fields, the economic profile of Curaçao began to climb, this time built on the backs of the slaves. When the institution was abolished in 1863, the island's economy was severely crippled.

Destabilization of the region and ambitious advances on the part of the British caused Curaçao to change hands several times at the start of the 19th century. In 1815, however, the Treaty of Paris legally granted the island to the Dutch.

When oil was discovered in 1920, a new chapter began in the history of Curaçao. Suddenly wealthy, the country experienced a large number of people immigrating from South America and other countries in the Caribbean. This added new life to the cultural composition of the island, an aspect which has only enhanced the local tourism industry.

At the dawn of the 21st century, Curaçao's prospects look brighter than ever. The island continues to be an important player on the world stage, having attained economic stability, cultural variety, and international attention.

[edit] References
Hartog, J (1967). Curaçao: A Short History. De Wit. 
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