Ruiterkwartier
The former Ruyterquartier (Riders' Quarter) was around 1900 one of the most water-rich and thus also one of the most beautiful areas of Curaçao, with many hofjes, lush fruit trees and various orangeries.
That also explains the concentration of small plantaadjes — really more country houses, or so-called "pleasure gardens" (lusttuinen) — in the area. These plantaadjes, such as Bloempot (1.5 ha), Joontje (2.25 ha), Pos Kabai (8 ha) and Rooi Catootje (31 ha), cannot match in size the "real" plantations in the outer districts such as Sint Joris (454 ha), Ascencion (470 ha) and Dokterstuin (526 ha).
On a map from 1715 the then Ruyterquartier was indicated as the area comprising Koningsplein, Suykertuin (Pos Cabai and Zuikertuintje), Buena Vista, (Bever) Rust en Vrede, (Rooi Catochi) Vreeland, (Gaito) Rust en Burgh (Groot Kwartier).
But deeds of sale show that other, sometimes more remote plantaadjes too, such as Joonchi, Klein Kwartier, Rust (on the Santa Rosaweg), (Klein) Bloemhof, Bloempot, Francia, Groot Davelaar, Cerito, Chobolobo, Zeelandia and even Salinja Abou, were counted as part of the Ruiterkwartier.
Changing owners
In the 19th century most of these plantaadjes were no longer profitable as agricultural businesses and changed into country residences for wealthy merchants from the city who did not depend on the income of their plantaadjes in the quarter. The country house was a status symbol and was regarded as an investment: if the owner was short of cash flow through the capture of ships by pirates, shipwreck, failed harvests or cattle deaths on his/her other plantations, or a shortage of food for the enslaved, or wartime conditions, the country house was sold. After 1890 the houses in the quarter were frequently bought by Jewish families, who before that had lived mainly in Scharloo and Pietermaai.
Santa Anna
The history of the Ruiterkwartier begins in 1634. Led by Johannes van Walbeeck and Pierre Le Grand, the Dutch sail on 29 July into the Sint Anna Bay, the present Schottegat, with 9 sailing ships, 225 soldiers of the West India Company (the WIC) and 400 sailors. They anchor in the east of the Schottegat, unaware that they are close to some water wells and a conspicuous landmark of the time that was referred to as Sitio de la Higuera, i.e. "the Place at the Fig Tree". This very probably meant the later Pos Cabai, near the theatre Centro Pro Arte.
With material brought along, such as pine wood, a camp of just under 1,800 square metres is set up here, containing barracks for 200 men, an ammunition store, a bakery and a smithy, and with a commander's dwelling above the gate. A moat was also dug around the camp.
Lopez de Morla
On 31 July the troops march to the village founded by the Spaniards, Pueblo di Santa Anna, where the Indians were concentrated. Here stood at first almost 100 little houses of wood, maize stalks and clay, a little church and various water wells. But on the approach of the enemy the inhabitants had fled, after — on the orders of the Spanish "governor", Don Alonso Lopez de Morla — burning the village, destroying the harvest and poisoning the water wells.
The village, which existed from 1502 to 1634, must have lain somewhere in the vicinity of Biesheuvel/Matancia. Van Walbeeck later found some 400 Indians and 20 Spaniards who had 3 muskets and some gunpowder, so there was actually no question of a Dutch "conquest" of Curaçao in 1634. There was only mention of one Dutch soldier killed by Indian arrows…
Wilschotborg
The Spaniards moved on to the west, where there were water sources, but because the Dutch were not familiar with the terrain, it took three weeks before the Spaniards surrendered. This happened on 21 August 1634 at the place that was then already called San Juan.
The Spaniards, together with the majority of the Indians, whom the Dutch did not trust, had to leave the island. Only some 20 Indians were allowed to stay as staff for the new conquerors of Curaçao.
In September 1635 commander Le Grand leaves for Holland; his replacement is David Wil(t)schut. Most of the soldiers were meanwhile working at the Fort on the Punt (Punda), and the camp at the fig tree was too large to defend with so few men. In consultation with the governor he builds a fort on the hill next to the old quarter: the hill where the little landhuis Bever now stands. The new little fort, set up from the material of the previous camp, is completed in 1635 and given the name Wiltschutborg. The Indians who were still on the island had to come and live at the new fort, where they could be better supervised, especially in connection with spying on behalf of the Spaniards, who were still lurking. The Indians lived in little houses at the new fort and looked after the garrison's horses.
Jan Pietersz van Oxfort
The Ruiterkwartier owes its name to the fact that the riders' corps (cavalry) was stationed in this military area.
The area was inhabited exclusively by riders, led by cornet Pietersz, who had set up the cavalry.
Jan Pietersz van Oxfort first served as a soldier in Brazil and, after the loss of that colony, was stationed on Curaçao. As commander of the cavalry he lived in 1654 in a wooden landhuis that was still owned by the WIC until 1791. It served as a riders' post and stood on the corner of the road to the Indiaansche Ranche (Rancho) and the road to plantation Koningsplein. This house was entirely destroyed during the hurricane of 1691, but was restored afterwards.
For his own use Pietersz was assigned a hofje called the Cornetstuin, Corporaalstuin or Hofi di Cornèt, in a part of the nearby Zuikertuintje.
The riders' post was the origin of the Ruiterkwartier, a name that in the 19th century was used as a district for the east side of the Schottegat and later also for the whole adjoining area.
The former Wiltschutborg later made way for the present landhuis Bever. West of the house lie the three gravestones of Jan Pietersz van Oxfort and his wife Johanna Mattiae, who died in 1684 and 1698 respectively, and that of their son Thomas alias Thijmen Pietersz, who was also a cornet and died in 1697.
The addition "van Oxfort" refers to Pietersz's birthplace, Oxfort in the Netherlands. A condition of any sale of the terrain was always that, for the benefit of the families of the deceased, the graves were not to be demolished.
The Evertsz family
After the Pietersz family the house is inhabited, by virtue of their office, mainly by generations of the Evertsz family. Originally a German riders' family, whose first members were cornets and leaders of the cavalry troops. They also owned various plantaadjes in the Ruiterkwartier, such as Bloemhof, Pos Cabai, Bever, Saliña Abou, Chobolobo and Koningsplein. Thus Jan Evertsz became owner of Koningsplein in 1763 and succeeded his father as corporal of the cavalry. Besides leading the cavalry they also supervised the WIC's plantations, even after these had been sold to private persons, and they mediated in the frequently occurring "tranqueer questions", i.e. "land-grabbing practices that end in quarrels", between plantation owners.
The Jack Evertszberg
The story of this riders' family includes the Jack Evertszberg, or Sé Djakebu. It is the last and lowest of the three brothers (115 m) and lies between Blauwbaai and the Piscaderabaai, west of the inner water of Piscadera. It stands on the former plantation Jack Evertsz (1899), alias Ravenslot, Donkerenberg (1870) or Blaauw Blaauw, which was formerly added to Klein Piscadera. It had a small landhuis that stood north of the Jack Evertszberg, near the foot, and whose foundations can still be seen.
Through the merger Klein Piscadera was formerly also called Jack Ever, Jakever or Djakebu, besides the aliases Piscadera Chikí, Weltevreden or Tropenweelde.
Signal post
A striking detail connected with this little hill is that a military signal post was built here, named after a member of the Evertsz family.
Father Brenneker writes that Ceru Djakebu is the corruption of the name of the first owner of the plantation, Jack Evertsz, i.e. Jacob Evertsz. This post — now a protected monument — dates from the 18th century and was brought back into use during the Second World War.
According to the author Father Nooyen the Evertsz family were also planters, and six of them are said to have been buried in the Ruiterkwartier, at unknown locations.
Bever
The small plantation, on which a large well stood, was in 1818 also called Corporaal. It was later bought by the military physician Daniel Beevers together with the nearby parcels Meerwijk or Meurwijk, Vreugdendal and Pos Cabaai, so that around 1815 Bever was much larger than the present estate (from 1920 only 1.5 hectares).
He built the house here that he called Schoongezicht alias Buena Vista. From the landhuis one indeed had a splendid view over the area, which is now completely built up, but from then on the name Bever was forever attached to the little landhuis. Beevers lived here from 1828 to 1840 and received a permit to keep 70 sheep on his piece of land, by then renamed a plantation.
Bever was restored in 1867 and fruit trees and a well with clean drinking water were added. It was partly restored in 2016 and entirely restored again around 2025.
Sources
- Brenneker, P. Sambumbu: Volkskunde van Curaçao, Aruba en Bonaire, various editions
- Huijgers, D. and Ezechiëls, L.: Landhuizen van Curaçao en Bonaire
- Ozinga, M.D. Monumenten van Curaçao in woord en beeld
- Renkema, W.: Het Curaçaose plantagebedrijf in de negentiende eeuw
With thanks to Frensel Mercelina, Maarten van de Laar, François van der Hoeven.
