Editing Curaçao (section)

===Spanish colonization===
The first Europeans recorded as seeing the island were members of a Spanish expedition under the leadership of [[Alonso de Ojeda]] in 1499.<ref name="The History of Curaçao"/><ref>{{Cite web |last=McColl |first=Richard |date=2013-03-26 |title=The forgotten conquistador |url=https://thecitypaperbogota.com/features/the-forgotten-conquistador/ |access-date=2025-05-09 |website=The City Paper Bogotá |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=1704 {{!}} Birth of papiamentu - Curaçao History |url=https://www.curacaohistory.com/1704-birth-of-papiamentu |access-date=2025-05-09 |website=www.curacaohistory.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=1499 {{!}} Amerigo Vespucci - Curaçao History |url=https://www.curacaohistory.com/1499-amerigo-vespucci |access-date=2025-05-09 |website=www.curacaohistory.com |language=en}}</ref> The Spaniards [[Enslaving|enslaved]] most of the Caquetios (Arawak) for [[forced labour]] in their [[Hispaniola]] colony, but paid little attention to the island itself.<ref name="The History of Curaçao"/> In 1515, almost all of the 2,000 Caquetios living there were also transported to Hispaniola as slaves.

Established in [[1499]] as a Spanish launchpad for exploring northern South America, Curaçao was officially settled by Spain in [[1527]]. It functioned as an island extension of Venezuela throughout the 1500s. As mainland colonization advanced, Spain slowly withdrew from the island. The city registry of [[Caracas]], [[Venezuela]] holds one of the earliest written mentions of Curaçao. A document dated 9 December 1595 states that Francisco Montesinos, [[priest]] and [[vicar]] of "the Yslas de Curasao, [[Aruba]] and [[Bonaire]]" conferred his [[power of attorney]] to Pedro Gutiérrez de Lugo, a Caracas resident, to collect his ecclesiastic salary from the Royal Treasury of [[Philip II of Spain|King Philip II of Spain]].

The Spanish introduced numerous tree, plant and animal species to Curaçao, including horses, sheep, goats, pigs and cattle from Europe and other Spanish colonies. In general, imported sheep, goats and cattle did relatively well. Cattle were herded by Caquetios and Spaniards and roamed freely in the kunuku plantations and [[savanna]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ABOUT CURACAO |url=https://tourhopping-curacao.com/about-curacao/ |access-date=2025-05-09 |website=Tour Hopping Curacao |language=en-US}}</ref>

Not all imported species fared equally well, and the Spanish also learned to use Caquetio crops and agricultural methods, as well as those from other Caribbean islands. Though historical sources point to thousands of people living on the island, agricultural yields were disappointing; this and the lack of precious metals in the salt mines led the Spanish to call Curaçao "the useless island".

Over time, the number of Spaniards living on Curaçao decreased while the number of aboriginal inhabitants stabilized. Presumably through natural growth, return and colonization, the Caquetio population then began to increase. In the last decades of Spanish occupation, Curaçao was used as a large cattle ranch. At that point, Spaniards lived around [[Santa Barbara, Curaçao|Santa Barbara]], Santa Ana and in the villages in the western part of the island, while the Caquetios are thought to have lived scattered all over the island.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Curaçao {{!}} Dutch Caribbean {{!}} Photos {{!}} OzOutback |url=https://ozoutback.com.au/the%20Dutch%20Caribbean/curacao/index.html |access-date=2025-05-09 |website=ozoutback.com.au}}</ref>