Caveira, Azores, Portugal

Caveira is the smallest civil parish on the island of Flores, located within the municipality of Santa Cruz das Flores, in the Azoreanarchipelago. The population in 2001 was less than 100 inhabitants, in an area of approximately 3.29 km². It is located in the extreme south of 5 kilometers from Santa Cruz das Flores, the municipal capital, in an area primarily concentrating on agriculture.

Geography

Physical Geography

The small parish is located along a promontory divided by a couple of river-vallyes: Ribeira da Cruz, in the north, which bisects the hamlet, and Ribeira da Silva, in the south, which separates the civil parish from Lomba, in the municipality of Lajes das Flores. In addition, the Ribeira do Moirato bisects the southern portion of the parish and joins the Ribeira da Silva to empty into the ocean along Fajã Pedro Vieira. The Caveira promontory is encircled by basaltic fractures and dominated by Ponta da Caveira, an area formed from large polychromatic basalts formations where the community is situated. The northern Ribeira da Cruz is an open escarpment and valley that extends towards the center of the island. Near the mouth of the Ribeira da Cruz is the large cliffs of Rocha Fernão Jorge, a semi-triangular physical feature formed from basaltic prisms originating from lava flows. It is a unique feature, similarly found in Antsiranana Bay, northernMadagascar.

Along the coast is the Gruta dos Encharéus, a large cavern/fracture at the base of Ponta da Caveira (50 meters width, 25 meter large and 15 meters in depth) where boats may penetrate and dock. It was once used as a hideout for pirates, privateers and smugglers in the past, but is currently a tourist site.

Climate

The higher altitudes makes the parish susceptible to strong ocean winds. Heavy precipitation in this zone allows agriculture to thrive, and in particular the raising of dairy cattle.

Human Geography

The catholic faith community is guided by Nossa Senhora do Livramento, although officially still holding onto the primitive Benditas Almas canonical titles. Its relative proximity to Santa Cruz has allowed the growth of secondary industries associated with activities in the municipal center.

History

The first colonists were a group of Flemish settlers captained by Willem van der Haegen, who selected the valley of Ribeira da Cruz for his settlement. They arrived at the end 15th Century with the hope of finding precious metals (tin and silver, specifically), in the belief that that Flores was part of the mythical Ihas Cassitérides (Islands of Silver and Tin). They made their homes in the small grottoes along the river-valley, but when they realized that there were no deposits, they abandoned their settlement and moved to the area of Topo, on the island of São Jorge. The area remained uninhabited for many decades until the 16th Century, as Father Gaspar Frutuoso noted is his historical tome "Saudades da Terra" and where he mentioned the community but omitted whether it was populated. The first reference to a populated settlement in Caveira appeared in the works of António Cordeiro, published in 1717, citing the existence of a small place along the coast.

From here Caveira evolved, becoming a primitive community dependent on the much larger administrative and religious village of Santa Cruz (whose parish included Caveira). Owing to the distance and difficulty in traveling from the valley of Ribeira da Cruz, in 1757, the parish vicar (Father Agostinho Pereira de Lacerda) requested that the bishop of Angra (at that time Brother Valério do Sacramento) anex Caveira to the neighboring parish of São Caetano da Lomba (even though it was part of the neighboring municipality). The situation did not improve communication or the betterment of the faith community connected to Lomba, and with the assistance of a local property-holder (José António de Sousa Bettencourt of Graciosa), a small chapel was constructed on the current site of the local cemetery. The chapel to the invocation of Benditas Almas (Blessed Souls), was 12 metres in length and 4.2 meters in width. Once completed, the parish priest José Joaquim de Almeida quickly petitioned that Caveira should be elevated to parish, going as far as a petition directly to King John VI of Portugal (dated December 19, 1823). The church remained the property of João António Bettencourt (a descendant) who maintained the building in a reasonable condition, but its condition degraded considerably. In a report by the Civil Governor of the District of Horta (in 1867), António José Vieira Santa Rita reported the lamentable condition of the sanctuary. The cornerstone of the new church was laid on June 13, 1870, but its completion was slow and difficult. Although supported by emigres to the United States and notable local residents, such as the Visconde da Silva Figueira, the main chapel wasn't completed until September 11, 1880. From this time the new church was named for Nossa Senhora do Livramento, although the Church in Angra refused to accept the change.

In the beginning of the 20th Century, rich in dairy resources, a local man (José Luís) began a local butter-producing business focused on the local Caveirense market. As the local population slowly shrank, the business was eventually integrated into the União das Cooperatives.

Economy

The community is focused on agricultural production, and in particular dairy activities. As mentioned, João Luís, was the principal investor in the local butter industry in Caveira. In other communities on Flores, other businessmen concentrated on the single-market butter business; for example, Ponta Ruiva and Ponta Delgada had their own butter factories serving their own markets. These smaller communities did not participate in the Florense agricultural syndicate pioneered by José Furtado Mota at the time. This created tensions between consumers and producers, who remarked in a 1918 Açoreano Oriental article that residents of Santa Cruz were never supplied butter, even as 10,000 kilograms of butter were being exported. Local residents of this community were required to travel to any of the outlying communities in order to purchase butter, including Caveira. The gradual de-population of this community spelled the extinction of the private butter industry, as the União das Cooperatives swallowed-up smaller businesses.

(c) Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caveira