Summary: A quick look at Curacao's past, a most colorful history.

Some people might have wondered where Curacao originated and how it is named as such. Curacao history can be traced as far back as 6,000 years ago, during the Native American Arawak days. The Arawaks were a group of Native South American people who lived in Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana . They traveled and settled on islands. The group Caiquetios was the ones who found the island, thus giving it its name.

More famous stories of Curacao history are those of Christopher Columbus' famous voyages. It was believed that Alonso de Ojeda, one of his lieutenants, discovered Curacao around 1499. Some people say though that Curacao's original name which was Curazon, was given by Spaniards to mean "heart". However changes have converted it to the Portuguese form which is Curacao.

It was also said that Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian, was with Ojeda when he found Curacao. Some stories have it that during the voyage, Vespucci's men suffered from scurvy. Vespucci was said to have left these men on the island, only to find out on his return that they were all well. It was presumed that the fruits on the island were rich in Vitamin C, thus curing the sailors. He was said to have named it Curacao which means "cure" in Portuguese. Being Italian, and Ojeda being a Spaniard, this version is quite absurd but is more famous and more interesting than the others.

Anyway, more than a hundred years later, the Spanish government was thrown out when the Dutch conquered Curacao. The Dutch put up plantations all over the island. The landhuizen structures are still very visible today, some of which are converted into restaurants and other establishments. The most common Dutch activity was the slave-trade, which is responsible for the start of the Papiamentu language. This became the primary form of communication, being a mixture of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and African dialects.

The 18th century is significant in Curacao history. The British tried to overthrow the Dutch numerous times until everything was settled by the Treaty of Paris. Under the terms of this treaty, Curacao was returned to the Dutch, which resulted in slavery being totally abolished, but the economy was slow to recover.

The early 19th century opened new doors in Curacao history with the discovery of oil. Soon Curacao and Aruba were distilling crude oil for a Venezuelan oil company. During the period of World War II, Curacao was made a part of the Netherland Antilles, along with Bonaire, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten.

These stories of Curacao history, and others not listed or mention here, may just be bits of a number of stories that have been pasted together, or may have no basis in fact but simply are figments of some very strong imagination. The one thing they have in common is that all are colorful stories of Curacao history, just as colorful as Curacao itself is colorful today. The best way you can find out more about Curacao history is to visit this exotic and colorful place.