subject: Porto Moniz - A Disputed Name [print this page] Porto Moniz - A Disputed Name Porto Moniz - A Disputed Name
The historical chronicling of Porto Moniz dates from the 15th century, not long after the island of Madeira was discovered. Unfortunately, the precise date of the founding of the settlement has been lost swirling in the mists of time.
Originally given the title of Porto do Tristao, this minor collection of basic cottages was established on the far eastern tip of Madeira's north coast. Porto do Tristao is referred to in official records composed in the 1530s. As in all the cases of settlements outside of the early Madeira's capital city, Funchal, the newly established settlement would have consisted of only a few families.
It was not long before Porto do Tristao was rechristened Porto Moniz. This renaming was officially recognised at a date widely believed to be close to 1570.
Whilst no definitive proof exists, it is a common supposition that the name change was at the behest of Francisco Moniz who was one of the first major landholders in the newly established coastal settlement and surrounding area. There can be little doubt of the elevated station in life of Francisco Moniz, you need to look no further than the fact that he wed Filipa da Camara, a granddaughter of Joao Goncalves Zarco, the father of modern the Madeiran archipelago.
Alternatively, the Francisco Moniz association has increasingly been doubted by quite a few on account of the fact that the name Moniz seemed to be well-known in the newly inhabited island. Joao Goncalves Zarco's 2nd wife carried the moniker of Isabella Moniz. Furthermore, the first governor of the nearest island of Porto Santo was one Bartolomeu Perestrello. Bartolomeu's female child, Filipa Moniz Perestrello, was famed for marrying Christopher Columbus. As had become the custom, Filipa's middle title, Moniz, was obtained from her mother's unmarried title. Thus, it seems that there were clearly a handful of immensely important Moniz kin intimately involved with the settlement of Madeira during the Sixteenth century which could lay down claim to the honour of being the inspiration for the naming of the recently founded Parish of Porto Moniz.
That which is in little question though would be the fact that Francisco Moniz sponsored the constructing of the Nossa Senhora da Conceicao church which stood approximately three hundred metres back from the ocean front at Porto Moniz. This church provided religious guidance for the small localized population of farmers and fishermen.
Routinely for any coastal town, from its founding Porto Moniz was linked to the rest of Madeira exclusively by the mode of ocean-going transportation. To understand this, it is important to comprehend that much of Madeira's seacoast climbs up considerably from the ocean. The sheer cliffs and deep ravines that delineate the coastline along the northwest of Madeira caused it to be practically impossible to travel anywhere across land on foot.
Regrettably, travel related issues were not the primary downside that its venue bestowed upon Porto Moniz. Because it was sited on the seacoast, devoid of means of rapidly reinforcing its defences, Porto Moniz was vulnerable to assault by pirates.
At the start, the best reaction the inhabitants of Porto Moniz could offer against seaborne raids was to hurry themselves and their cherished items inland and to conceal themselves among the uplands until finally the imminent danger passed.
Nonetheless, in the 1730s the Sao Joao Baptista fortification was built. This secure citadel, made with the regional volcanic rock, was installed on the principle point of the local coastline so that it enjoyed an unhindered view of the complete sweep of the Atlantic Ocean toward the horizon. All of a sudden, any person focusing on plundering not only faced the prospect of solid resistance, but they had furthermore said goodbye to any chance of a sneaky approach.
With the danger of buccaneers strongly decreased, the community and municipality associated with Porto Moniz prospered. The census of 1836 records that more than 7 thousand individuals were gaining their livelihood in the region.
The neighbouring terrain still restricted development. Without a doubt, Porto Moniz kept principally detached from the rest of the country until following World War II. It was at this time that a modest coastal road coming from the neighbouring community of Sao Vicente was cut into the base of the sea cliffs and provided Porto Moniz a land-based solution for transporting merchandise and produce in and out. In the past twenty years, this route has frequently been upgraded by tunnelling and spanning with bridges to bypass the most difficult expanses.
The extent and nature of these recent improvements has, at long last, bestowed upon Porto Moniz quick means of land-based communication with the rest of Madeira island. With a modern overland network of roads now available, the village has seen its economic prospects transformed. With rapid changes now taking place, to see the delights of the traditional Porto Monizyou should aim to plan a trip to the village in the not too distant future.
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