Pirates: Dutch Buccaneer Ship

Issued 1970
Dutch Buccaneer Ship

The opening of the Age of Pirates found the New World dominated by Spain. Gold and silver came from the mines of South America, while the cities of Mexico served as way-stations for galleons carrying spices, silks, and jewels from the Far East. The rising powers of England and the Netherlands, along with Spain’s traditional enemy France, challenged Spanish supremacy and sought to make their own fortunes from the New World—even if it meant stealing from the Spanish. Because the Caribbean was an unknown world to the invaders, they sought local allies among those who lived on the fringes of Spanish colonial society. A mix of Spanish outcasts, escaped slaves, and a handful of early invaders survived by hunting wild cows and pigs. These hunters first provided meat for the invaders, then later served as guides and ultimately as full-blown pirates.