The Dutch West India Company conquered Curacao in 1634, establishing it as a crucial trading post and slave depot.

Driven by a desire to secure salt pans for their herring industry and to establish a naval base in the Caribbean, the Dutch West India Company (WIC) captured Curacao from the Spanish in 1634. Under Dutch rule, Curacao rapidly transformed into a pivotal center for transatlantic trade, including the infamous triangular trade route involving enslaved Africans. Its deep-water port, Willemstad, became a thriving commercial hub, attracting merchants and goods from across the Atlantic, despite the island's limited agricultural potential. This strategic acquisition underscored the Dutch Republic's growing maritime power and its role in global commerce.