History of Machico Madeira island

MACHICO. The city of Machico is the most historical place in Madeira and one of the most notable Portuguese soil.

It is the most historical place in Madeira, where it was landed Zarco and Tristan Vaz, who took the Portuguese island territory. One of the most notable Portuguese land because it was in the archipelago of Madeira and Porto Santo that started the discoveries dreamed, studied and performed by the Infante Dom Henrique.

Some say that the Prince knew of the existence of the archipelago and some people is of the opinion that the discoverer of Porto Santo was heading for Guinea and a storm that led to his landing at Porto Santo. That would be the origin of the name - Porto Santo - it was the port that delivered the browsers perish at sea. The latter view say, days after reaching the discoverers to Porto Santo, where the calm and the sun came up everything cleared, they saw another land a few miles. Upon returning to the motherland, informed the Prince of the existence of another land and a year later, in 1419, landed in Machico, east of the beach, a place that was known for - Desembarcadouro.

Regarding the origin of the name - Machico - there are several reviews and studies of illustrious people like Camilo, Pinheiro Chagas, Dr. Rodrigues de Azevedo, General Brito Rebello and D. Francisco Manuel de Mello.

The most romanticized view is the story of Machin (English) and Anne d'Arfet (French), the unfortunate lovers who thwarted in their marriage by their families, fled in a sailing boat and a storm took them to find an island, Madeira and a beach, Machico, long before getting there Zarco and Tristan Vaz. Continues the story, saying that Anne d'Arfet died and Machin, to bury it, erected a cross with an inscription engraved her name with any wording and underneath his - Machin. That later would be lucky to pass another boat out there that would take him back. Thus, to find the cross, the sailors of Zarco and Tristan would have given that place the name of Machico - in honor of the unfortunate Machin.

It's really unusual name of Machico and looks like a vaguely to Monchique and the legendary Machin, but as for me, the document found by the General Brito Rebello refute all other hypotheses. This is a gift and pray thus: "Huas houses on the street stam New Lisbon to part with those of the captain to moor c Joham Piriz Canellas MACHICO the master of your boat when he lived in was your mercee raccoon." Here, therefore, appears to some degree a sailor named Machico with every letter of the name, the city that might have been to Madeira, as master of the boat, when they arrived for the first time in Machico. It would be a tribute to him that, for some unknown reason, had given the name the place? 0 fact is that there was a man of the sea, by the time 1419, which called Machico.

After the discovery, Machico was the seat of captaincy.

The wood was divided into two Captain: Funchal, whose Captain was Grantee Gonçalves Zarco and Machico, Tristan Vaz.

Later, when the sons of the latter were already adults, Machico was remarkable cultural center. Still famous soirées accruing to the residence of Tristan Vaz Teixeira, 2nd donee. Danced, made music and they said the verses.Even the poet Tristan Vaz Teixeira was very gallant and the beautiful - sex, both which became known as Ladies' Tristan.

Machico has a beautiful bay in the shape of crescent - and a green valley surrounded by high hills, some rocky and steep, other lush vegetation. As it should be stunning, what a virgin forest, when there came Zarco and Tristan Vaz! ...