A Google satellite image of the West end of Curacao, showing the cemeteries.
A Google satellite image of the East end of Curacao, showing the cemeteries and candidates for cemeteries.
Curacao Cemeteries
Curacao, Netherlands Antilles
Jeff Maass
Updated: 24 December 2010
I am interested in visiting and documenting by photographs the cemeteries on the island of Curacao, in the Netherlands Antilles.
I have been interested in cemeteries for the past several years. I have learned much of the history of Ohio and my county by studying and visiting the local cemeteries. I am now doing the same for the cemeteries on Curacao.
I am posting my notes and images as a web
page to allow me to organize and have them available wherever I am. In addition,
some of the question marks may best be answered by those who live on Curacao.
This page will make it easier to recruit their participation and present the
material to them.
I have noted that many of the cemeteries (or their associated churches) do not
have their names indicated. I have attempted to identify each known cemetery
with a name that is descriptive. As the correct name is known, I'll make
corrections.
There are a number of cemeteries that I have labeled "Candidate Cemetery #n".
These areas were seen using Google Earth, and appear to have the characteristics
of a cemetery from the satellite. There is no guarantee that these are, in fact,
cemeteries: they will need to checked out in person.
I have posted a few initial images from Curacao taken in January 2009. I took only one brief afternoon to visit a few cemeteries during my January trip. Where possible, I have included a few photos taken by others for those cemeteries that I have not visited as yet. I have captured a satellite image from Google Earth to show the layout of each cemetery, where possible (not all of Curacao has high-resolution imagery on Google Earth yet). Using the topographical maps published by J.V.D. Werbata in 1906 and 1910, I have included map segments showing how the cemeteries that existed then were notated.
If you are able to help out with information or images of any of these cemeteries, or of funeral and burial practices on Curacao, please email me, and I will add your information and give you credit.
Here is an overview map of Curacao, showing the listed
cemeteries and possible cemeteries that I have identified to date.
A Google satellite image of the West end of Curacao, showing
the cemeteries.
A Google satellite image of the East end of Curacao, showing the cemeteries and
candidates for cemeteries.
For each cemetery or "candidate cemetery", I have attempted to
provide a Google Earth satellite image, the cemetery name, the location (GPS
coordinates) and a contact person, and an image showing how the cemetery
appeared on the Werbata topographical maps published between 1906 and 1910. For
those cemeteries inside Willemstad, a second Werbata map segment may be shown
from the separate city map.
The Werbata Maps are available for purchase on CD-ROM from: the
"Curassow"
web site for $80. CD-ROM 1 contains the topographical maps of Curacao, in
two different scales. CD-ROM 2 contains topo maps for the other Dutch Caribbean
islands (Aruba, Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Sint Maarten, as well as some
excellent 1910 topo maps of Willemstad on Curacao. They have helped me to find
some new "candidate cemeteries", which existed when the maps were published in
1906, and they have helped me by providing names for some of the cemeteries for
which I had locations but no names. Thanks to
Harrie at the Curassow site for
helping to get me these maps!
| Image | Cemetery | Location & Contact | On Werbata Topo Maps (1906) |
 |
Sint Jozefsdal Church Cemetery (Barber) |
Barber 12deg 17' 22.95 N 69deg 4' 23.20" W Contact: |
 |
 |
Beit Heim Cemetery | Willemstad 12deg 7' 53.26" N 68deg 56' 35.33" W Contact: |
 |
 |
Militaire Begraafplaats | Willemstad (Otrabanda) 12deg 6' 48.39" N 68deg 56' 49.87 W Contact: Frans van Es, 736-4290 |
 |
 |
Soto Cemetery |
Soto 12deg 16' 32.51" N 69deg 6' 35.60"W Contact: |
 Note that the Soto Cemetery and church do not show in this 1906 map. |
 |
Westpunt Cemetery | Westpunt 12deg 22' 14.40" N 69deg 9' 5.58" W Contact: |
 |
 |
Sint Willibrordus Catholic Church & Cemetery |
San Willibrordus 12deg 13' 0.06" N 69deg 3' 55.32" W Contact: |
 |
 |
Church Santa Maria Cemetery |
Santa Maria 12deg 9' 21.46" N 68deg 56' 32.93" W Contact: |
 |
 |
Weis Cemetery(?) |
Weis 12deg 8' 42.64" N 68deg 54' 43.83" W Contact: |
? |
 |
Masonic Cemetery (Combined with Protestant?) |
Willemstad (Otrabanda) 12deg 6' 42.67" N 68deg 56' 36.00" W Contact: |
 |
 |
Old St. Anna Roman Catholic ("Oude St. Anna") (Was "Candidate Cem # 4) |
Willemstad (Otrabanda) 12deg 6' 45.97" N 68deg 56' 31.08" W Contact: |
  |
 |
New St. Anna Roman Catholic ("Nieuwe St. Anna") (Was "Werbata Cand #3) |
Willemstad ( Domi) 12deg 6' 55.93" 68deg 56' 29.94" |
  |
 |
Maria Magdealena Roman Catholic Cemetery (Was Candidate #7) |
Willemstad (Pietermaai) 12deg 6' 13.85" N 68deg 55' 1.64" W Contact: |
  |
 |
Protestant Cemetery (Name Unknown) (Was Candidate #5) |
Willemstad (Pietermaai) 12deg 6' 10.30" N 68deg 55' 21.04" W Contact: |
  |
 |
Jewish Cemeteries "Ned. Port. Isr." and "Ned. Hero. Isr." (Was Candidate #6) |
Willemstad (Pietermaai) 12deg 6' 14.92" N 68deg 55' 12.51" W Contact: |
 |
 |
Family Cemetery (Old) |
Willemstad (Pietermaai) 12deg 6' 18.14" N 68deg 55' 13.61" W (This small plot is located just NW of the Jewish Cemeteries which were "Candidate #6) |
 |
 |
Santa Rosa (Catholic) |
Santa Rosa 12deg 6' 34.67" N 68deg 53' 43.93" W Contact: |
 |
 |
Montagne (Catholic) |
Montana Abou 12deg 6' 18.36" N 68deg 53' 53.36" W Contact |
 |
 |
Candidate Cemetery #3 (Name Unknown) |
Willemstad (Motet) 12deg 6' 35.98" N 68deg 55' 29.81" W Contact: |
NO |
| Candidate Cemetery #9 (Name Unknown) |
Brievengat 12deg 8' 29.66" N 68deg 52' 43.13" W Contact: |
NO | |
 |
Werbata Candidate #1 |
Veeris 12deg 6' 56.27"N 68deg 57' 27.08"W |
 |
 |
Werbata Candidate #2 |
12deg 7' 16.25" N 68deg 57' 16.98" W |
 |
 |
Werbata Candidate #4 (Single Grave?) |
Christoffel Park 12deg 19' 33.6" N 69deg 6' 56.4" W (Very Approximate)
|
 NOTE: This single red cross on Werbata map "02c_II.jpg" (upper right) has the notation "Graf" ("Sulpuchre" in Dutch). It may be a single crypt or a small collection of crypts. |
 Google Earth does not have high resolution images for this part of Curacao. |
Werbata Candidate #5 (Single Grave?) |
Santa Cruz 12deg 18' 19.98" N 69deg 8' 7.08" W (Very Approximate) |
 NOTE: This single red cross on Werbata map "02c_II.jpg" (lower left) has the notation "Graf" ("Sulpuchre" in Dutch). It may be a single crypt or a small collection of crypts. |
 Google Earth does not have high resolution images for this part of Curacao. |
Werbata Candidate #6 (Single Grave?) |
San Mango? 12deg 17' 26.46" N 69deg 7' 36.36" W (Very Approximate) |
 NOTE: This single red cross on Werbata map "04b_IV.jpg" has no notation. It may be a single crypt or a small collection of crypts. |
 |
Werbata Candidate #7 (Single Grave?) |
Soto 12deg 16' 28.64" N 69deg 6' 43.00" W (Very Approximate) |
 NOTE: This single red cross on Werbata map "04b_IV.jpg" has no notation. It may be a single crypt or a small collection of crypts. It is possible that any grave(s) here were moved to Soto Cemetery when it was established a bit NE from this spot. |
 |
Werbata Candidate #8 (Multiple Graves?) |
Patrick 12deg 17' 4.98" N 69deg 3' 52.62" W (Very Approximate) |
 NOTE: These two red crosses on Werbata map "05a_V.jpg" has no notation. It may be a single crypt or a small collection of crypts. |
 |
Werbata Candidate #9 (Single Grave?) |
Dokterstuin 12deg 16' 27.36" N 69deg 4' 25.44" W (Very Approximate) |
 |
 |
Werbata Candidate #10 (Single Grave?) |
Ascencion 12deg 16' 20.56" N 69deg 3' 48.66" W (Very Approximate) |
 |
 |
Werbata Candidate #11 (Single Grave?) |
12deg 15' 3.00" N 69deg 3' 46.20" W (Very Approximate) |
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Copyright (c) 2009 Jeffrey A. Maass
All Rights Reserved.