A Retrospect Of Porto Moniz In Madeira

The history of Porto Moniz is almost as old as that of Madeira's capital city, Funchal. This small village, situated at the extreme northwest tip of Madeira island, was founded some time in the late fourteen hundreds. Originally it bore the name of Ponta do Tristão and it is mentioned by this name in various documents dating from the 1530s. At that time, the village must surely have been a far-flung outpost with few inhabitants.

It is widely believed that the name of the village was changed to Porto Moniz during the 1570s. The reason for the name change is assumed by many to be connected with the fact that one of the main early landowners of the region was Francisco Moniz, a wealthy man who originated from the Algarve in mainland Portugal. Francisco married Filipa da Câmara who was a descendant of the discoverer of Madeira, João Gonçalves Zarco.

However, the Francisco Moniz link is doubted by some as the name Moniz was prominent in the newly settled island. João Gonçalves Zarco's second wife bore the name of Isabella Moniz. Further, the first governor of the nearby island of Porto Santo was one Bartolomeu Perestrello. Bartolomeu's daughter, Filipa Moniz Perestrello, was famed for marrying Christopher Columbus. As was the custom, Filipa's middle name, Moniz, was taken from her mother's maiden name. So, it seems that there were a number of important Moniz family members in and around Madeira during the 16th century that could lay claim to the honour of naming the new Parish of Porto Moniz.

What is in little doubt though is that Francisco Moniz sponsored the building of the Nossa Senhora da Conceição chapel which stood some 300 yards back from the waterfront at Porto Moniz. This chapel served the small local population of farmers and fishermen.

Typically for a coastal village, from its founding Porto Moniz was linked to the rest of Madeira solely by ocean-going transport. To understand this you must appreciate that much of Madeira's coastline rises steeply from the ocean. The sheer cliffs and deep ravines that typify the coastline along the northwest of Madeira made it practically impossible to go anywhere across land on foot.

Unfortunately, transportation difficulties were not the only disadvantage that its location bestowed upon Porto Moniz. As it stood on the coastline, with no means of quickly reinforce its defences, Porto Moniz was vulnerable to attack by pirates.

Initially, the best response the inhabitants of Porto Moniz had to seaborne raids was to take themselves and their prized possessions inland and to hide amid the uplands until the danger passed.

However, in the 1730s the São João Baptista Fort was constructed. This solid fortress, built from the local volcanic rock, was positioned on the headland so that it enjoyed an unhindered view of the entire sweep of the Atlantic Ocean to the horizon. Suddenly, anyone considering mischief not only faced the prospect of formidable opposition, but they had also lost any chance of a surprise attack.

With the threat of pirates greatly reduced the village and Parish of Porto Moniz flourished. The census of 1836 records that over 7,000 individuals were earning their living in the region.

The surrounding terrain still hindered progress, though. Indeed, Porto Moniz remained largely detached from the remainder of the island until after the Second World War. It was only at this time that a narrow coastal road from the neighbouring village of São Vicente was cut into the base of the cliffs and offered Porto Moniz an overland option for shipping goods and produce in and out. In the last twenty years, this road has constantly been upgraded by tunnels and bridges to circumvent the more challenging stretches.

Today, at long last, Porto Moniz has a modern communications network feeding into the village and with it comes the possibility of expanding the economic potential of the region. One cannot help thinking that, to view the more traditional aspects of the village, you should visit Porto Moniz soon.

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Robert James B.Sc (Hons) is the editor of the independent Madeira travel guide. He has visited the beautiful island paradise of Madeira frequently and always discovers something new with each visit. In addition, Robert has been a freelance writer for over 30 years and has had many articles published in the trade press.

For a tourist guide, visit the Porto Moniz webpage.

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