English: Old Meat Market

From several early descriptions of the town it appears that the sale of provisions, such as meat, fish and vegetables, took place right in the street, which, especially in stuffy, close-knit Punda, would lead to insanitary conditions. In 1812 the English occupation authorities tried to regularize this to some extent by setting up a meat and fish market outside of the city walls. This market was described as ‘miserable wooden huts or sheds with tetched roofs’. In 1816 Curaçao came under Dutch rule again.

In 1838/1839 Governor Van Raders ordered the constructed of a new meat-market on the same location as the existing one, along the shore of Pietermaai. It measured 40 x 8 meters and was partitioned in 16 compartments where the meat was sold. A slaughterhouse was built nearby. The meat-market and slaughterhouse were swept away by the great hurricane of September 1877.

To prevent this from happening again, the market was transferred to the Waaigat, further away from the sea. The new market on the Ruyterkade opened in 1880, and is still standing today.

For convenience’ sake the slaughterhouse was rebuilt on the same spot on the coast, where the refuse of the slaughter could be dumped directly into the sea. It was used until 1933 when a government abattoir was opened on Parera.