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Preface & Acknowledgments

The book is divided into two main sections. Part I gives an overview of the town's history, from its founding to the present. The chapters here are divided into broad historical periods of differing lengths, marked by major happenings which affected Willemstad and its inhabitants. Part II takes an in depth look at the major commercial activities which have sustained the town and the entire island over the centuries. Some of these, such as shipping, have played a vital role in the island's economy for virtually its entire history. Others, such as furniture making and hat plaiting, had a fleeting moment of glory and then disappeared. Still others, such as tourism and offshore, are relatively new, coming into their own only in the twentieth century, and showing promise for the future. There is some repetition of the information between the two parts, to make the book more useful as a general reference; I hope this is not too distracting to the more scholarly reader.

Each chapter concludes with a short profile of a colorful historical personality. Many of these people were successful, enterprising entrepreneurs who seized a business opportunity and ran with it. Some were quite typical of their times and industries; others stand out for the sheer audacity of their undertakings. Although I have tried to include a representative sample of the many different ethnic groups that have shaped Willemstad's commercial development, we can only know about individuals whose exploits have been recorded, and historians have tended to focus on the wealthier and more powerful segments of society. Unfortunately, the undertakings of many resourceful individuals among the lower classes, especially women, have been largely lost to history.

I am indebted, first and foremost, to the many excellent scholars whose works appear in the bibliography. Of course, any omissions, inaccuracies or misrepresentations of their work are entirely my fault. It was an honor to work with the members of my Advisory Committee, who took time from their own busy work to make excellent suggestions for improvements to the manuscript; I am only sorry that I could not incorporate them all. Charles Gomes Casseres merits particular mention for the hours he pored over the manuscript and his meticulous attention to detail. Emy Maduro and Oliva Ocalia of the Curaçao Public Library were most helpful in finding and identifying sources and references and very patient in accommodating my schedule. Jay Haviser is responsible for my (admittedly still too few) references to pre-European and Spanish trade ties.

Paul Comenencia deserves a special thanks, for he had the idea for the original project, and graciously supported my suggestion to develop the short booklet he originally commissioned into an entire book; his graciousness, insight and patience throughout the whole project are much appreciated, as is the overall support of the Curaçao Chamber of Commerce R Industry. Angela Peterson was a thorough and committed research assistant, reading and systematizing Dutch texts that would otherwise have been inaccessible to me. I am most grateful to Irving Schenker for his high level of professionalism, even in the face of other pressing commitments. Janice Godschalk provided much needed coffee, cookies and good humor at critical moments.

Richenel Ansano willingly performed a myriad of tasks typically assigned to the devoted spouse, from intellectual advisor to fact checker to "gofer." Our daughters, Naomi and Aisha, were surprisingly tolerant of what was referred to more than once as "Mom's stupid book" and have continually forced me to put this project in its proper perspective. They have sparked my interest in this island's past, given me a reason for caring passionately about its present and permanently invested me in its future.

L. M. R.
Curaçao, June 1999

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