Curaçao Slave Trade, 1700-1730

During the last quarter of the 17th century Curaçao became an important regional slavemarket, especially for the Spanish colonies on the south american mainland. Until 1730 the Dutch West India Company (WIC) had a monopoly on the Dutch Atlantic slave trade. For the period 1700-1730 the documentation regarding the slavetrading activities of the WIC on Curaçao is almost completely preserved in the archives of the Company, kept in the Dutch National Archives in The Hague. Information from these archives, especially from the selection lists drawn up shortly after the arrival of the slaves on the island, auction records, and sales lists, is processed in the database.