History
Civilization
The human
civilization began in Curaçao at about 600 years a.d. with the arrival
of Indians of the coastal regions of South America. They belonged to the
Arowaks who formed part of the Caiquetíos tribe. They lived from
agriculture, fishing and hunting. The Arowaks were known as friendly and
peaceful people. This in contrast with the Cariben who passed the Lesser
Antilles around 1530 and advanced to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Both
the Arowaks and the Europeans were afraid of the Cariben. The reason was
the outward appearance of the Cariben and their ritual cannibalism. The
Caribbean Region owes its name from the Cariben.
Discovery
A Spanish expedition
led by Alonso de Ojeda discovered the island of Curaçao in 1499. The
Spaniards went ashore in search of drinking water, after having noticed
footprints in the sand, they came to the conclusion that the island was
inhabited. They appeared to be the Arowaks. Because of their height, the
Spaniards named the island Isla de los Gigantes (Island of the Giants).
Owing to a shortage of labourers, most of the Arowaks were taken as slaves to
Hispaniola and other Spanish colonies in the region. In 1513 they named the
Lesser Antilles Islas Inútiles (Useless Islands) because no
precious metals or natural riches were found. In 1525 Governor Juan
Martínez de Ampuéz repopulated Curaçao with Indians.
Curaçao has always known very dry periods. Its strategic position and
natural harbour were the most valuable assets.
Conquest And Developments
In 1634
the Dutch, led by Johan van Walbeeck, conquered Curaçao. They did so to
obtain salt for the herring industry as the Spanish and Portuguese no longer
supplied salt after the Eighty Year War. Johan van Walbeeck was then named
director. Soon after the West-Indian Company was founded they set up a few
plantations at the beginning of the 17th century. Because of the low
investments the Dutch paid more attention to cattle breeding than to
agriculture. Eventually the Dutch started to trade. When Jacob Pieters Tolck
was appointed as director, Curaçao started to become the centre of the
West-Indian slave trade. This developed even further under the rule of Peter
Stuyvesant (1643-1663) and in spite of the attempts by England and The
Netherlands in the course of the 19th century to combat the slave trade,
slavery was not abolished until 1863. In the 18th century commerce flourished
as a result of smuggling between nations that were at war. At the beginning of
the 19th century Curaçao was under English rule, which lasted until
1814, after which the Dutch regained Curaçao at the London
Convention.
Because of the great drought in the first decade of the
20th century agriculture was of little importance to the economy of the island.
Many inhabitants were looking for means of support elsewhere in the Caribbean
region. Around 1930 there was great economic prosperity in Curaçao due
to the establishment of an oil refinery from the Shell Group. Transshipment,
harbour and trade flourished. During the Second World War, a number of offshore
companies, trust business and offshore banking were set up. It was in this
period that people wanted autonomy, which was obtained by the Statute in 1954.
In the 1960s tourism became one of the economic pillars of the island. The
island economy is now mainly being built up by concentrating on investments
from abroad.