| The population density
is also relatively high at 316 inhabitants per square kilometer, and of course one must
not forget that at the peak tourist season, especially in July and August, the population
is at least three times as much, based on the number of beds available at hotels,
tourist complexes and private houses. As a matter of fact, the Borough of Carvoeiro
represents about 60% of the available tourist capacity in the Lagoa Municipality. The
main population and urban expansion took place, however, towards the end of the sixties
and early seventies when several building projects for the tourist trade were started and
many others planned. Examples of these are the Sesmarias and Solférias tourist complexes,
and the Dom Sancho hotel, the Residencial Togi and the start to the Almansor Hotel. After
that time there was a slack period, but expansion picked up again at the end of the
seventies and early eighties as well as the late eighties and early nineties, but at
present it is in the midst of a depression (31-7-1996 webmaster).
In Carvoeiro today (31-7-1996 webmaster) there are more than ten
good quality tourist developments, three high class hotels, and more than a hundred
restaurants or similar establishments, which inevitably benefits the local socio-economic
way of life. There are some thirty tennis courts and a (3 webmaster) golf course
in the borough, as well as an appreciable number of large swimming-pools for tourist
leisure use. Banks, travel agencies and other service firms have also been set up in
Carvoeiro to meet the requirements. The building industry has obviously accompanied all
this expansion of tourism.
Historically, however, the Carvoeiro area has mainly had close connections
with the sea - there are documents and maps to confirm this, as well as the inhabitants'
role in defending the coast - and with the land, especially with regard to unirrigated
crops, e.g. almond, fig, olive trees, grape vines, as well as vegetables such as broad
beans and peas in the spring. In view of the shortage of water, except in places supplied
by the irrigation channel from Poço Partido/Praia do Carvoeiro to some places in the
Bemparece/Canada area, there is no farming of irrigated crops. There are some vegetable
gardens and smallholdings which produce mainly citrus fruits, but this type of farming is
however somewhat limited.
Cabo (Cape) Carvoeiro, close to Alfanzina, is shown on the oldest
available maps of Portugal. For example there is a map which dates back to about 1621,
compiled by Fernando Álvares Seco, based on an initial Rome edition dated 1561, which is
considered to be the oldest printed map of Portugal. It is based on one of the first large
scale surveys made of the whole country, and it is believed that geometrical surveying
methods were adopted for the purpose.
<>At Alfanzina, or more precisely, Areias de Alfanzina, there is a
Neolithic/Chalcolithic archaeological site as shown the Archaeological Map of Portugal
(issued by IPPAR), which was some kind of settlement, where pottery shards have been found
close to the surface of the soil. The maps illustrated in an archaeological study by
Mário Varela Gomes, Pinho Monteiro and Eduardo Cunha Serrão called "The Caramujeira
Prehistoric site - 1975/76 Research" (Minutes of the 3rd Archaeological Expeditions,
1977) show the Areias da Alfanzina site precisely to the north of Cabo Carvoeiro and the
Alfanzina lighthouse, relatively close to the valley at the top of which Caramujeira is
located. The publication by Estácio da Veiga "Antiguidades Monumentais do
Algarve" (Ancient Algarve Monuments" mentions a ruined bronze age burial ground
with urns, in an area within the Lagoa borough limits close to Bemparece, and just north
of Carvoeiro borough territory. It may be of considerable historical interest to discover
the explanation for the place names "Cabeço das Pias" (Hilltop of the Fonts)
and "Masmorra" (Dungeon). At the latter place there is a cave dug into the rock
circumscribed by quadrilateral stone foundations on a small plateau overlooking the valley
from the south which widens out towards Bemparece. From Masmorra one can plainly see
Cabeço das Pias up on another hill. Chapter seven of the first volume of the above
publication by Estácio da Veiga, deals with this very subject, by mentioning "
Underground dwellings or storage caves commonly described as granaries, olive-bins,
garners (or "matmoras")", and alluding to caves dug in the rock such as
those which can be found precisely at Masmorra in the Borough of Carvoeiro. The origin of
the name is therefore easily explained.
According to some authors, such as Alberto Iria in " O Algarve e os
Decobrimentos" ( Algarve and the Discoveries) written in 1956 where the crusade to
conquer the Algarve (the first time) from the Moors, the place Caboiere is mentioned in
reference to a Moorish fortification that was overrun, and this appears to be the origin
of the name of Carvoeiro. This clearly shows how old it is (although the fortification may
not necessarily have been where the village is now located) since it had existed during
Moorish times or even before. This theory has been put forward by several other writers.
Nevertheless, although Baptista Lopes stated in his 1841 book
"Corographia do Algarve" (Chorography of the Algarve) that Carboiere would be
the former name for Cabo Carvoeiro, in the notes he mentions the possibility that the
place, which is referred to in "Crónica da Conquista do Algarve", could be
"rather the place called Carvoeiro in the Borough of São Bartolomeu" in
Messines. The whole question is problematical and complex so it remains in doubt.
Frequently, Cabo Carvoeiro is mentioned in historical records and chronicles when
reference is made to Porches. After all, a few years after Porches was definitively
reconquered from the Moors - Porches Velho, that is, the Crastos Area - had its
"Castrum" (castle) donated to a chancellor of King Afonso III, called Estevão
Anes in February, 1250. Later, on 20th August, 1286, King Dinis granted the royal charter
to the settlers in Porches. One can glean from this charter that the territory which is
now the Borough of Carvoeiro was part of that new, but short-lived mediaeval district. In
fact, less than a century later in 1370, King Fernando of Portugal bestowed the Porches
jurisdiction to the city of Silves, and eliminated the former by the same decree. The
Carvoeiro area, including the Cape, farming lands, beaches and it inhabitants, was
therefore incorporated into the Silves municipality limits.
When the Lagoa Municipality district was established on 16th January,
1773, instead of being part of the Silves territory, in accordance with the Royal Warrant
signed by King José I as a consequence of Pombal's reformation policies, the Carvoeiro
area was placed under the administrative control of Lagoa. There are several historical
references to places within the Carvoeiro area. The 15th century records of the
administrator of the Royal domains in Silves mention that the registrar went in 1447
to the "Alfanzina thickets at the limits of the Alagoa territory to take
possession of land and a hovel that had previously been a house on that land which is now
covered with wild vegetation". Friar João de São José also states in
"Chorography of the kingdom of the Algarve" (1577) - "Apart from those
mentionned above there are many other places in the Algarve such as (.....), Carapateira,
Algoz, Carvoeiro (.....)".
In "História do Reino do Algarve" (History of the kingdom of
the Algarve) from about the year 1600, Henrique Fernandes Sarrão wrote: "A
league to the south of this place of Estombar, is the fishing village of Carvoeiro on the
coast; and half a league farther over, in the direction of the sunrise, there is a
watch-tower which is called the Alfanzina tower" We believe this to be one of
the best geographical descriptions of Carvoeiro in olden times.
Fishing and the defense of the coast were intimately connected. Besides,
for fishing to be carried in safety from the Moorish attacks, especially during the
summertime, protection was naturally required, and this was provided by means of
watch-towers and other look-out posts, bulwarks and fortresses. The Algarve coast was
indeed ravished by several covetous groups of attackers. For example in a letter from the
governor of the Algarve on 27th July, 1638, addressed to the King describing the situation
of the area, one can read the report of some "vessels which appear to be
Turkish" off the shore opposite "the fortress of Our Lady".
Previously , in August, 1554, according to the description by Babtista
Lopes in his " Corographia do Algarve", there had been "a fierce naval
battle (....) between the Algarve coast guard fleet (....) and that of the well-known
Turkish corsair, Xaramet-Arraes", due "East of Cabo Carvoeiro"
that is, not far from Alfanzina.
Returning to the subject of fishing, we find that Henrique Sarrão had
certified that about the year 1600 there was a fishing fleet in Carvoeiro. During the 17th
and 18th centuries this activity continued, and there is a report by Romero de Magalhães
on the Algarve economy over that period. In 1884 fishing concession areas were granted in
the name of Joaquim de Almeida Negrão - cf. "A Pesca do Atum no Algarve"
(Tuna fishing in the Algarve) by Luis F. Santos, 1989. In his 1911 book "Memória
Monographica - Villa Nova de Portimão", Father José Gonçalves Vieira comments
that "until the last few years" there were Carvoeiro based boats with
fishing gear that fished for sardines, in a fleet owned by João Júdice Fialho. The same
author mentioned that in 1911 there was still a fleet belonging to the same owner that
fished for tuna.
Incidentally, Teixeira Gomes, describes in his " Agosto Azul"
(Blue August) the harpooning of tuna ("Uma Copejada de Atum) at the beginning of the
2oth century with stunning liveliness and enthusiasm. This expedition to which he had been
invited took place precisely off the coast from Praia do Carvoeiro. Even a few decades ago
one was still able to see on the beach the iron supports of the fishing nets. Also, not
many years ago there was a fish canning factory still in operation. Its chimney is
standing there even now. It was with a certain sadness that we recently saw an
advertisement in the 1944 edition of Mário Lyster Franco's "Algarve - Guia
Turistico" for the "Cabo Carvoeiro" canning factory owned by
António Campos Amaral, mentioning in French: "Fabrications spéciale en
Sardines, Filets de Maquereaux, Chinchards".
With regard to the coastal defenses, one can read in the book "Castelos
e Fortificações Maritimos do Conselho de Lagoa"(Maritime Castles and
Fortifications in the Lagoa Municipality), written by Carlos Pereira Callixto, that "At
Praia do Carvoeiro, on the coast of the Lagoa municipality area, construction of the
fortress of Our Lady was started in 1670 on top of the rocky cliff at the eastern end of
the small sandy bay, and to confirm its age there is only a memorial stone which was
installed some 125 years later" This memorial stone is located exactly above the
doorway of the fortress.
The fortress of of Our Lady of the Incarnation has been subjected to
several vicissitudes, the worst being the earthquake of 1st November 1755 when it was
seriously damaged, especially the battlements, the interior and the chapel. The
restoration took an extremely long time, and even a century later it was still in
progress.Currently only part of the eastern battlement is from the original structure, as
well as the portico. In 1870 a coast guard barracks was established in the fortress. also
the intra-mural Chapel of Our Lady of the Incarnation was rebuilt and extended, and has
been further modified recently. On part of the land where the northern battlements were
located there is now a car park and a terrace with views over the sea, as well as a
children's playground on the western side.
Carvoeiro which had strong maritime connections in yester-years, is now
tied to tourism, with the ever present scenery of the sea. |
