Toledo is an unincorporated human settlement in the civil parish of
Santo Amaro, in the municipality of
Velas in
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
island of
São Jorge Island
São Jorge () is an island in the central group of the Azores archipelago and part of the autonomous region of Portugal. Separated from its nearest neighbours (Pico and Faial islands) by the Pico-São Jorge Channel, the central group is ofte ...
in the
Azores
)
, motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace")
, anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores")
, image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg
, map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union
, map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
.
History
Although located in high altitude mountains of the northern coast, Toledo is situated with good access to potable water and springs, explaining its early settlement by
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
and
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
colonists. Its name was likely given to the area by early settlers from the
Toledo region in Spain, who arrived in the mid-15th and the 16th centuries, constructing houses and support structures to guard their animals and cereals, from rock excavated from cavities in the side of the mountain. These quarries were discovered in 2008, in the area of Ribeira Funda and Outeirão. The early settler families included
Ávilas from Spain,
Bettencourt
Bettencourt is a surname and noble family of Norman French origin. The head of the family in the 14th century, Jean de Béthencourt, organized an expedition to conquer the Canary Islands, resulting in his being made King of the Canary Islands. T ...
s of France (and the descendants of
Jean de Bettencourt, the ''King of the
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...
''), and the
Silveiras (descendants of the
Fleming Willem van der Haegen
D. Willem van der Haegen (1430; Flanders – 21 December 1507/9; São Jorge, Azores), or Willem De Kersemakere, known in Portuguese as Guilherme da Silveira, or Guilherme Casmaca, was a Flemish-born Azorean entrepreneur, explorer, and colonizer ...
, the first settler of
Topo
Topo or TOPO may refer to:
* Topo (Calheta), a civil parish in the municipality of Calheta, in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores
* Topo (climbing), in climbing, a guide for a crag or climbing area
* Topo (robot), a robot aimed at the consu ...
). Further, immigrants from the Toledo region of Spain also settled in the region, including
Teixeira
Teixeira (, , ) is a Galician-Portuguese Teixeira is a surname of a Portuguese family with toponymic roots whose origin is in the landlord of Teixeira, municipality of Baião in Portugal, belonging to Don Hermígio Mendes de Teixeira, noble in ...
s, Silvas, Matias, Constantinos,
Oliveiras and Sousas.
Many of these early families also captured the waters of the region by constructing earthen/volcanic rock tanks for their animals and built cisterns or pools to collect water for local consumption. The original houses have long disappeared, even as the community thrived on the raising of swine for export or local consumption.
In the waters north of Fajã Rasa (near Ponta do Calhau), a Spanish cargo ship, ''Algorta'', heavily laiden with cotton shipwrecked on 22 March 1864. The ship had nine crew members on board who were saved, but the ship was lost, its hulk deteriorating along the coast for years (with only the green-tinged rocks and partial frame lying along the black rocks off-coast as proof of the events).
Since the 18th century and until the 20th century, the lands around Toledo were used to produce wheat and rye, to be exported to continental Portugal. Today, there are few cereal crops cultivated in this region, the exception is corn, used for human and animal consumption. Toledo is primarily a cattle and herding society, with most dairy and beef cattle free-ranging throughout the year. Milk from dairy cattle is sold by the local farmers to produce the renowned São Jorge Cheese, a symbol of the islands protected food culture.
Under the supervision of José Pereira da Cunha da Silveira e Sousa, at that time president of the local government, the citizens of the Toledo constructed their first inter-communitarian house of worship, the Chapel of São José,
[The cornerstone was laid on 13 June 1876, while its first service occurred on 16 May 1879.] the Império do Espírito Santo, cemetery and public fountain, in addition to a tunnel across Pico Alto (which they referred to as the ''Mina'', or en, mine). The aim of this subterranean construction, completed in 1876, was to carry water from Fonte da Chã (in the south of the island), across Pico Alto, to the public fountain in the north of the island. The ''Mina de Água'' ( en, Water Mine) as it was called, supported the population until the end of the 20th century, when water was finally piped in by the municipal government in Velas.
Around 2006, the settlement included between 50-60 residents, that were primarily dedicated to agriculture and cattle-raising. This is in sharp contrast to the 18th century, when 300 inhabitants resided in Toledo. It was the 15–21 February
1964 Rosais earthquake
The 1964 Rosais earthquake ( pt, Crise sísmica dos Rosais) was a series of seismic swarms occurring in February 1964, leading to two major earthquakes on 15 and 21 February, resulting in the destruction of most of the habitable dwellings on the ...
that affected these numbers, resulting in many local residents abandoning their homes, emigrating to Canada, the United States or Brazil (at least 153 people remained following this event). About 50% of the residences in Toledo were lost during the event, and forty years later there still remained temporary structures in the village to house many of the displaced, left by the U.S. Forces stationed at the
Lajes Field
Lajes Field or Lajes Air Base (; pt, Base Aérea das Lajes), officially designated Air Base No. 4 (''Base Aérea Nº 4'', BA4) , is a multi-use airfield near Lajes and northeast of Angra do Heroísmo on Terceira Island in the Azores, Portug ...
. This also reduced the land under cultivation, the reduction in young residents and the exodus of large families from the community: Toledo has not recovered from this depopulation.
Geography
Toledo is located in the northwestern coast of São Jorge, nestled within high-altitude pasturelands and interspersed by
Laurisilva
Laurel forest, also called laurisilva or laurissilva, is a type of subtropical forest found in areas with high humidity and relatively stable, mild temperatures. The forest is characterized by broadleaf tree species with evergreen, glossy and el ...
forests.
Much of the lands occupied by its residents are located in three broad bands. The southern mountain range of
Pico Alto
Pico Alto (English: ''High Peak'') is the highest mountain in the Brazilian state of Ceará, reaching . It is located in the city of Guaramiranga
Guaramiranga is one of the smallest towns of the Northeastern state of Ceará in Brazil.
It is l ...
(766 metres elevation), essentially an area of consolidated volcanic material and rock landscape, includes Nascente, Pico do Loiçano (411 metres) and Pico da Ponta Furada (622 meters). The latter two peaks are geologically created from two
volcanic domes, but has been affected by sustained erosion. A second dome that includes Pico da Ponta Furada is divided between Toledo and neighbouring Santo António, was created by volcanism that formed Ponta Furada and which extended into the sea as a basaltic rock escarpment. The dome of Pico do Loiçano is located near one of the accesses to the Toledos' fajãs, namely Fajã de Vasco Martins and Fajã Rasa. From this location, apart from being able to witness the islands of
Graciosa
Graciosa Island () (literally "graceful" or "enchanting" in Portuguese) is referred to as the ''White Island'', the northernmost of the Central Group of islands in the Azores. The ovular Portuguese island has an area of , a length of and a width ...
and
Terceira
Terceira () is a volcanic island in the Azores archipelago, in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the larger islands of the archipelago, with a population of 53,311 inhabitants in an area of approximately . It is the location ...
, its height allows panoramic vistas of the northern community and the mountain of Pico Alto. From Pico Alto it is possible to glance at the southern and northern landscape of the island, the central group of islands, the delineated parcels of agricultural lands, hydrangeas bushes along the roadways and the cattle, swine, goats and sheep of the local farmers. Similarly, the coastal vistas allow overlooks of many of the coastal fajãs: Fajã de Vasco Martins, Fajã Rasa, Fajã da Ponta Furada and Fajã de Manuel Teixeira.
Toledo is known for its abundance of water, its springs and water courses, like the Ribeira do Raste, with its origin in area around Pico Alto, and travels the length of the settlement to merge with Fonte Velha (around Fajã de Vasco Martins) and continue to the sea, not before falling 80 metres to the rocks below. At this point the waters crash to the ground creating a natural pool, that was once used for local bathing but also as a fishing hole for local
freshwater eel
The Anguillidae are a family of ray-finned fish that contains the freshwater eels. Eighteen of the 19 extant species and six subspecies in this family are in the genus ''Anguilla''. They are elongated fish with snake-like bodies, their long dorsa ...
. Similarly, the Ribeira de Dona Ana (or Donana) and Ribeira do Grotão traverse the Toledo region, merging with the Ribeira da Quebrada and then dividing between Fajã do Caminho do Meio and Fajã Rasa. Ribeira das Hortas is also a water course, which has its origins around Canto da Serra and flows between the smaller springs of Pico Alto and
Pico da Esperança.
Culture
Traditionally, Toledo is active during the summer, resulting in celebrations that bring many of the locals into the streets, alleys and narrow passages to celebrate both religious and secular holidays. These events include traditional folk music with musicians from other islands, in addition to Trulu, Francisco Ferreira dos Santos (along with ''Ferreirinha das Bicas''), Ferreirinha Filho, José Eliseu and other local musicians.
References
See also
*
Fajã de João Dias
{{authority control
Velas