Siglas Poveiras

The siglas poveiras (also known as marcas) is a proto-writing system that has been used by the local community of Póvoa de Varzim in Portugal for many generations. The siglas were primarily used as a signature for family coat-of-arms in order to mark family belongings. The symbols were normally written using a razor on wood, but painting on boats and beach sheds was also common.

The purpose of the siglas was to record history and thus has been ascribed as Póvoa's "writing system". However, the siglas do not record sounds or specific words, and so are not true writing. The reason for their prominence has been ascertained to be due to a common ignorance of the Latin alphabet among the local population.