Editing Aruba (section)

==== Dutch conquest: salt ====
{{Blockquote|text={{lang|nl|Al is de Sallem schoon, De Haering spant de Kroon.}} 
The salmon may be beautiful, the herring surpasses all.|multiline=yes|source=E. Az. van Dooregeest & C.A. Posjager (1699)<ref>{{Cite web |last=DBNL |title=Een korte Historie Aengaende Hollandt, Den Ryper zee-postil, bestaende in XXII. Predicatien toegepast op den zeevaert, E. Az. van Dooregeest, C.A. Posjager |page=350 |url=https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/door040rype01_01/door040rype01_01_0025.php |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=DBNL |language=nl}}</ref>}}
The Dutch were compelled to venture into forbidden waters of the Caribbean, known as Spain's ''[[mare clausum]],'' because of their need for salt, in open defiance of [[Philip II of Spain|Phillip II]]. Since the mid-15th century, the prosperous Dutch [[herring]] industry had been steadily expanding.<ref name=":22">{{Cite journal |last=Goslinga |first=Cornelis Ch. |date=1979 |title=A Short History of the Netherlands Antilles and Surinam |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-9289-4 |journal=SpringerLink |language=en |pages=20–25 |doi=10.1007/978-94-009-9289-4|isbn=978-90-247-2118-4 }}</ref> The towns of [[Hoorn]], [[Enkhuizen]], and [[Medemblik]] were particularly active in the salt trade, thanks to their thriving fishing industries. Herring was a crucial commodity for Dutch commerce, requiring salt for preservation. Salt also played a vital role in the butter and [[List of Dutch cheeses|cheese]] industry, as well as in preserving food during long voyages.<ref name=":12">{{Cite book |last=Goslinga |first=Cornelis Christiaan |url=http://archive.org/details/BNA-DIG-CARI-944_4-GOSL |title=The Dutch in the Caribbean and on the Wild Coast, 1580-1680 |date=1971 |publisher=Assen : Van Gorcum [etc.] |isbn=978-90-232-0141-0 |pages=116–140 |chapter=The Battle for Salt |url-access=registration}}</ref> The curing or pickling process for herring was well established during the Middle Ages. After catching the herring, the packers would remove the internal organs, mix them with salt to create a brine, and pack them in barrels along with additional salt.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last=Unger |first=Richard W. |date=1980 |title=Dutch Herring, Technology, and International Trade in the Seventeenth Century |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2120179 |journal=The Journal of Economic History |volume=40 |issue=2 |pages=253–280 |doi=10.1017/S0022050700108204 |jstor=2120179 |s2cid=154052293 |issn=0022-0507}}</ref> While [[Zeeland]] was not heavily involved in fishing, they were renowned for their salt whitening process, which was highly sought after throughout Europe.<ref name=":12" />

Salt importation began in the 15th century when the Dutch discovered high-quality salt in [[Setúbal]] the [[Iberian Peninsula|Iberian]] coast. This sea salt was good for preserving herring because of its [[magnesium sulfate]] and [[magnesium chloride]] content. However, the [[Eighty Years' War]] prompted Phillip II to halt this trade.<ref name=":22" /> With the salt supply cut off, the Dutch were forced to seek new trade routes. Their quest for salt led them to the West Indies.<ref name=":12" /> Seeking alternative sources, they turned their attention to Punta de Araya in Tierra Firme by the 17th century.<ref name=":22" /> The salt reserves in Punta de Araya were abundant and of high quality, surpassing that of the Iberian peninsula. Rather than being a rock salt deposit, it was a gem salt derived from the clay of the surrounding hills.<ref name=":12" /> However, following the [[Twelve Years' Truce|Truce of twelve years]], the Dutch discovered that the Spaniards had fortified the saltpans, forcing them to give up their stake in Araya salt.<ref name=":22" />

After hostilities resumed, the Dutch established the [[Dutch West India Company|West India Company]] (WIC) with the main objective of engaging in strategic military actions and [[privateer]]ing organization against Spain. This was the {{lang|fr|raison d'être|italic=yes}} or reason for the existence of the WIC. Their secondary objective was focused on commerce and colonization, a choice that ultimately led to the downfall of the WIC in 1674. The WIC also gathered information on Spanish treasure fleets. In 1623, the first official fleet of the new WIC, a small squadron of only three ships commanded by Pieter Schouten, set sail for the Caribbean to engage in looting and plundering in the Lesser Antilles and the Yucátan peninsula. It was during this voyage that the [[Hooiberg#History|Dutch first encountered Aruba]].<ref name=":22" />

Around 1628 or 1629, the Dutch started obtaining salt regularly on [[Tortuga (Haiti)|Tortuga]]. Governor [[Francisco Núñez Melián]] of Venezuela destroyed the saltpans and took some Dutch prisoners, forced them to cut [[Paubrasilia|Brazilwood]] in Curaçao. One of these Dutchmen, Jan Janszoon Otzen, carefully assessed the island's excellent harbor and profitable saltpans, which he later communicated to the WIC. Recognizing their struggle for salt, the Dutch realized the need to establish a base in these waters to secure Curaçao. WIC agent [[Johannes van Walbeeck]] was appointed as the expedition's commander and future Governor of Curaçao, Bonaire, and Aruba. Curaçao was captured and acquired by the WIC in June 1634, primarily by their desire to obtain salt. In Van Walbeeck's report of 1634, Aruba is mentioned only in relation to Curaçao, where he refers to Bonaire and Aruba collectively as the "islands of Curaçao".<ref name=":22" />

By 1816, Aruba possessed seven salt pans, all of which yielded salt of subpar quality. The salt production was just sufficient to meet the local demand. Aruban laborers, often assisted by donkeys, were tasked with gathering the salt, which was subsequently distributed among the island's inhabitants.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=De Hullu |first=J. |date=1923 |title=Aruba in 1816 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41845847 |journal=De West-Indische Gids |volume=5 |pages=371–382 |jstor=41845847 |issn=0372-7289}}</ref> Around 1924, salt extraction at [[Rancho, Aruba|Rancho]] had limited benefits, primarily being used in the preservation of fish during shipping.<ref>{{Citation |last=Fraters van Tilburg |title=Ranchoe. Zoutwinning. Er is weinig aan verdiend. Het zout wordt gebruikt bij de verzending van vis |date=1924 |url=http://archive.org/details/STADSMUSEUMTILBURG-FRATERS-404472 |access-date=2023-10-06 |language=Dutch}}</ref> [[Paardenbaai]] (Horses' Bay) contained salt pans up until 1949 when it was dredged and disappeared beneath the sand.<ref name=":0" />