Language/Papiamento/Culture/Curaçao-Timeline

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Historical Timeline for Curaçao - A chronology of key events

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History of Curaçao[edit | edit source]

The island of Curaçao was first inhabited by the Arawaks, an Amerindian people. The historical and archaeological records point to tribes of caquetíos, from the north-west of present-day Venezuela.

The invasion of the first European colonizers took place in 1499, when a Spanish expedition commanded by Alonso de Ojeda, discovered the island during their first exploration trip along the north coast of South America. Next to him are Juan de la Cosa and Américo Vespucio who calls it the Island of the Giants, apparently due to the high stature of its indigenous inhabitants.

Spanish rule was maintained throughout the 16th century, a period during which a large part of its original inhabitants were transferred as slaves to the island of Hispaniola and to Venezuela. During the rule of the Welser of Augsburg settled in Coro, the island was included in the territory of the province of Venezuela in 1528 and served as a bridge for the Spanish exploration and conquest of territories in the north of South America. The Spanish planted hundreds of orange trees, but the arid soil and low rainfall on the island did not provide optimal conditions for the growth of this citrus. The island was gradually abandoned, as the colonization of the American continent progressed when they discovered that there was neither gold nor fresh water. Likewise, one of the oldest references to the name of the island is found in the archive of the Main Public Registry of the city of Caracas (Venezuela). A document dated December 9, 1595 specifies that Francisco Montesinos, priest and vicar of "the Yslas de Curasao, Aruba and Bonaire" conferred a power of attorney on Pedro Gutiérrez de Lugo, a shelf in Caracas, to collect from the Royal Cajas de Felipe II the salary that corresponded to him for his office of priest and vicar of the islands.

The first records of Dutch settlements on the island date back to 1621, who needed to stock up on vital resources such as wood and salt. On July 28, 1634, an expedition of the Dutch West Indies Company commanded by Admiral Johannes van Walbeeck, who, claiming the island as his own, conquered its territory despite the stubborn defense made by López de Moría and Juan Matheos. The small Spanish colony and almost the entire indigenous population, who refused to swear obedience to the Netherlands, were expelled and took refuge on the shores of Venezuela.

In 1642, Peter Stuyvesant was appointed governor and Dutch settlers began to grow corn and peanuts, as well as native fruits. Saltwater lagoons that impeded irrigation soon proved invaluable, and the island's economy became dependent on the export of salt. But the saline lagoons weren't the only advantageous geographic features found here. The depth of the coastal waters and the coral reefs that surround the island made it popular with Caribbean merchants. The capital city of Willemstad became especially well known, as it began to receive merchant ships from many different nations.

Starting in 1651, the first Sephardic Jewish settlers came to the island originally from the Iberian Peninsula, from where they were expelled first to Portugal, then to the Netherlands and finally to the Dutch colonies of Pernambuco and Recife in northeast Brazil. Most of the Sephardim who settled in Curaçao came from Pernambuco when they were expelled by the Portuguese in 1654. This circumstance explains the existence of Portuguese words, Spanish-Portuguese Sephardic surnames abundant in Jewish cemeteries and, above all, the influence on phonetics from Papiamento, quite similar to Portuguese, something inexplicable in the Caribbean, where there are no Portuguese colonies. The Jewish Community of Curaçao, the oldest active Jewish congregation on the continent, has had a significant influence on the island's culture and economy, as well as playing a key role in supporting the start of Jewish congregations in the West Indies, New Amsterdam (now New York) (United States), Tucacas and Coro in Venezuela. With the new settlers, the techniques for the cultivation of citrus fruits and the exploitation of salt flats for export are improved. The island was a prosperous colony, which resulted in the construction of imposing colonial buildings combining Dutch and Spanish styles.

During the Franco-Dutch War, the French Count Jean d'Estrées II planned to attack Curaçao. However, on May 11, 1678, a week after setting sail from Saint Kitts, his fleet was severely affected after hitting the reefs of the Las Aves archipelago, due to a navigation error. In Curaçao, "Thanksgiving Day" has been celebrated since the 18th century to commemorate the fortunate episode that prevented the French attack..

The island under the Dutch colonial administration was transformed into an important center of commerce, and what would become one of the main slave markets (Seat of blacks) for the European colonies in America was established, especially for Brazil, a fact that gives a strong boost to the economic development of the island. Venezuelan cocoa and tobacco smuggling flourished between the port of Tucacas and Willemstad despite the control of the Real Compañía Guipuzcoana de Caracas, which monopolized the trade in these highly demanded items in Amsterdam, London or Antwerp in the mid-18th century.

In 1730 the contrabadista zambo, called Andresote, led a revolt along with other slaves and free blacks settled in the Quilombos on the coast of the Triste Gulf in western Venezuela. Andresote had the support of Creole landowners; as well as Dutch smugglers from Curaçao, who supplied them with arms, gunpowder and ammunition. The movement did not intend to sever political ties with the Crown, but it did weaken the excessive control of the Real Compañía Guipuzcoana that monopolized trade between Venezuela and Spain. After several attempts the movement was defeated by the Spanish.

In 1795, an uprising of African slaves was harshly repressed by the Dutch colonial authorities.

The destabilization of the region as a result of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe and imperialist advances by the British caused Curaçao to change hands several times at the beginning of the 19th century. The island was invaded by the English on two occasions, ranging from 1800 to 1803, and from 1807 to 1816. Almost simultaneously, the independence movements of the Hispanic colonies of the continent take place, with which they contribute by giving refuge to Anglophiles such as Simón Bolívar, and with the participation of at least two of its key figures, such as Manuel Piar, leader of the uprisings in the province of Guayana, and Luis Brión, who would become Admiral of Gran Colombia. In 1815, after Napoleon's final defeat at Waterloo, the Treaty of Paris legally granted sovereignty over the island to the Dutch.

In 1829 the "Treaty of Peace, Friendship, Navigation and Commerce" was signed in London between Gran Colombia and the kingdom of Holland. Said treaty directly benefited the Curaçao merchants and this together with the abolition of the Inquisition in 1821 favorably conditioned the decision of the Jewish merchants of Curaçao to settle in Venezuela.

For much of the 19th century, the island's main activity continued to be the African slave trade in the port of Willemstad before continuing on to its final destination. The slaves who remained on the island were responsible for working on the previously established plantations. This influx of cheap labor made the agricultural sector much more profitable. With the rise of trade and work being done in the fields, Curaçao's economic profile began to rise, this time built on the backs of slaves.

In 1856 the colonial government of Curaçao strongly protested the expulsion of the Jews from Coro because it damaged the commercial exchange, claiming the rights that Venezuela owed to foreigners according to international treaties. The Kingdom of Holland demanded compensation for the economic losses of the Jews and their safe return to Coro, also claiming Bird Island as its own. The Venezuelan government disregarded such requests, claiming that if Jews considered themselves harmed, they should sue in a Venezuelan court. Faced with this attitude, the Dutch decide to blockade the port of La Guaira with a fleet of three warships, also sending an ultimatum to the Venezuelan government to respond to their requests about the sovereignty of the island of Aves and to "negotiate" the terms of the alleged compensation to the Jews expelled from Coro.

In 1863 slavery was abolished and the island's economy was severely affected. Many islanders migrated to the Antilles (particularly Cuba) and Venezuela. The kingdom of Holland then promoted the bringing in of labor from India and Indonesia.

When oil was discovered in the Lake Maracaibo Basin in 1914, the Anglo-Dutch company Royal Dutch Shell gave a new boost to the Curaçao economy with the start of operations in 1918 of the oil refinery in Willemstad. The arrival of large numbers of migrants from Venezuela, Colombia and other countries in the Caribbean helped the island's cultural diversification, an aspect that has also improved local tourism and industry.The insurgents seize the US steamer "Maracaibo" and unsuccessfully invade Venezuela through La Vela de Coro.

In 1940 before the fall of Holland into the hands of Nazi Germany, the British occupied Curaçao and the French Aruba. Later, in 1942, they will be relieved by American troops. The presence of a power other than the Netherlands causes alarm to the Venezuelan government. The proximity of these islands, traditional bases to launch incursions against Venezuelan territory, and the fact of dominating the entrance to the Gulf of Venezuela more than justify this concern.

After World War II there was also an influx of Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe, many of whom were Romanians and permanent US military bases were established.

In 1954 in order to give autonomy and a political organization to the former Dutch colonies in the New World, the Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed, initially composed of European territory, together with Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles of which they were part. in addition to Curaçao, Aruba, Bonaire, Saba, Saint Eustatius and Sint Maarten.

On May 30, 1963, popular uprisings took place on the island, motivated by the global contraction of the oil industry and the discontent resulting from racial exclusion within its main industry. These uprisings reached their climax in 1969, when violent mobs burned down a large number of shops in the most important urban area of ​​Willemstadt, causing enormous economic losses.

In 1985, the year in which Shell transferred the Willemstad refinery to the local government, it was decided to tender a leasing contract for it, which was awarded to the Venezuelan state PDVSA.

In 1986, Aruba decided through a plebiscite to separate from the rest of the Netherlands Antilles and become an autonomous state within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

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

Curaçao will be separated from the Netherlands Antilles, making them disappear, since Saba, Saint Eustatius and Bonaire became Islands of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Sint Maarten with the same status as Curaçao and Aruba. Although the official separation was scheduled for December 15, 2008, it was postponed without a date.2

On May 15, 20093 a Referendum was held on the island to decide its status with respect to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, voters had to decide whether or not to approve the agreement negotiated in the first months of 2009 with the Netherlands for this island to become become an autonomous country within the Kingdom by reducing its debt, or if on the contrary it rejected this agreement and remained as a colony. It was finally approved by the majority of the electorate, and the Netherlands Antilles were formally dissolved on October 10, 2010.4 The island of Curaçao, the largest of the five, and the island of Sint Maarten became Autonomous Countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. , rejecting total independence. Curaçao has its own Constitution, Government, and Parliament and shares a Central Bank with the Dutch part of the island of Sint Marteen.

The change in status is symbolic for the most part, because the island territories of the Netherlands Antilles were already largely self-governing, and the inhabitants of the islands will remain unchanged citizens of the Netherlands. King William Alexander will continue to be the head of state, represented by Governors General, and the Dutch Government will maintain its responsibilities for foreign relations and defense.

On June 8, 1929, anti-Gomecist Venezuelan revolutionaries stormed Fort Amsterdam, neutralized the scant local garrison and the police, capturing the Dutch governor Leonard Albert Fruytier.1 Subsequently

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