History
Gonçalo Velho Cabral, nobleman in the House of Infante D. Henrique (Henry the Navigator) and commander in the Order of Christ, arrived on the island of Santa Maria in 1432. In the cartography of the 14th Century, the island was referred to as Ilha dos Lobos ("Island of Wolves"). It became the seat of the first Captaincy of the Azores, which initially included both Santa Maria and São Miguel.
Its first settlement began in 1439, with the occupation of Praia dos Lobos (in the northern coast around Anjos). Fernão de Quental would later (around 1450) establish a colony in the south along an escarpment overlooking a small bay that aforded protection for ships: what would become known as the Vila do Porto ("town of the port"). This town would become incorporated in 1470, with the establishment of the first lighthouse in the Azores. Although never experiencing earthquakes since its initial settlement (in comparison to the other islands in the Azores), the community was always marked by isolation, inaccessibility and weak defensive position.
In 1901, it received an official visit from King D. Carlos and Queen D. Amélia, and later that year elected the first Republican municipal government.
Read more about this topic: Vila Do Porto (Azores)
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