Lomba da Maia
Encyclopedia
Lomba da Maia is a civil parish in the municipality of Ribeira Grande in the Portuguese
Azores
. In 2001 there were 1,174 in an area that covers 20.3 km² from the northern coast to the interior (its density was 57.83/km²), on a plateau that overlooks the neighboring parish of Maia
. Generally, it is the parish with the highest elevation in the municipality of Ribeira Grande.
. Friar Montalverne indicated that the peoples of the area, thinking it to be Judgment Day, were admonished by the clergy to seek the blessing of Our Lady of the Rosary. thus beginning the regions devotion to this image of the Virgin.
The first temple constructed in Lomba da Maia to serve the public, was the Church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário , a small chapel completed by the local clergy in 1867. But, this chapel was insufficient to serve the growing needs: a church was begun in 1868 and its construction was supported by donations from the local communities. Although construction slowed, its completion was made possible by Father Manuel Moniz Medeiros and master José Fidalgo, who invested most of their earnings to its completion. Lomba da Maia, for a long time remained an enclave of the nearby parish of Maia
. With the completion of the church, to the invocation of Sant'Ana, there was a move to elevate the village to parish: a fact that occurred several years later.
At the end of the 16th Century, Gaspar Frutuoso
referred to the settlement briefly as: "Lomba da Maia part of the sunrise escarpment with Grotinha da Fonte and the sunset escarpment with Grota da Cruz". The chronicler, still, referred to the small chapel of Nossa Senhora do Rosário on Lomba Grande. Similarly, Francisco Afonso de Chaves e Melo wrote of the settlers of Lomba da Maia in the following terms: "after Porto Formoso is the locality of Maia, civil parish of Espírito Santo. This location is the best situated on the island and is likely to become a villa. There exists in this parish two clergy, whom are annexed to the Church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário da Lomba and Nossa Senhora da Alegria in Furnas."
Between 1707 and 1760, the parish of Furnas
was integrated into Lomba da Maia.
The parish was finally elevated to the status of civil parish in 1908.
, 21 kilometres from the town of Ribeira Grande, and 39 kilometres from the district capital, Ponta Delgada
. Its territory is planar from sharp coastal clips to the foothills of the Achada Plain, an area 600 meters above sea level. It is delimited in the east by course of the Ribeira Funda, which separates it from Fenais da Ajuda
, west by the Ribeira das Faias, which separates it from the parish of Maia, and south by the limits of Ponta Garça.
covering the basaltic substratum, the valleys are profoundly carved forcing most settlements along a north-south orientation. Most of these valleys exceed 100 meters altitude, the rivers transporting most of the soils to the coast where they formed the Praia da Viola (a beach zone sited by early settlers for several mills).
The parish includes two primary agglomerations:
The population during the 20th Century was controlled by internal politics and emigration to the United States (the Johnson-Reed Act, fixed quotas on Portuguese emigration to the U.S.), which persisted until the end of the Second World War. A growing trend continued until the 1960s, when the Kennedy-Pastore Act was enacted, resulting in a 25% decrease in the community. People from Lomba da Maia, during the period between 1960 and 1970, emigrated to North America, primarily to Massachusetts
and Rhode Island
, but later to Canada
. In addition, a small community of ex-patriots also settled in Bermuda
.
cow. Further, the cultivation of tobacco
, sugar beats and, until recently chickory, have been important crops historically, but have lost their importance to the dairy industry. Flax
was also cultivated in this area, for the threshing mills of Riberia Grande.
In parallel, smaller businesses have supported these communities: commercial shops, cafés and more recently, the expansion of rural tourism, centered on the old Herdade de Nossa Senhora das Graças. The production of local ceramic tiles, also an historically important part of the community, has long since been discontinued, but continues on the area of Telhal (which is toponomic variation on the Portuguese
word for tile).
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
. In 2001 there were 1,174 in an area that covers 20.3 km² from the northern coast to the interior (its density was 57.83/km²), on a plateau that overlooks the neighboring parish of Maia
Maia (Ribeira Grande)
Maia is a civil parish in Ribeira Grande Municipality in the Portuguese Azores. The population in 2001 is 1,901, its density is 86.5/km² and the area is 21.97 km²...
. Generally, it is the parish with the highest elevation in the municipality of Ribeira Grande.
History
Little is known of the first settlers, although settlement may have occurred around 1510, and increased after the 1522 earthquake that destroyed Vila Franca do CampoVila Franca do Campo
Vila Franca do Campo is a town and a municipality in the southern part of the island of São Miguel in the Portuguese Autonomous Region of the Azores...
. Friar Montalverne indicated that the peoples of the area, thinking it to be Judgment Day, were admonished by the clergy to seek the blessing of Our Lady of the Rosary. thus beginning the regions devotion to this image of the Virgin.
The first temple constructed in Lomba da Maia to serve the public, was the Church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário , a small chapel completed by the local clergy in 1867. But, this chapel was insufficient to serve the growing needs: a church was begun in 1868 and its construction was supported by donations from the local communities. Although construction slowed, its completion was made possible by Father Manuel Moniz Medeiros and master José Fidalgo, who invested most of their earnings to its completion. Lomba da Maia, for a long time remained an enclave of the nearby parish of Maia
Maia (Ribeira Grande)
Maia is a civil parish in Ribeira Grande Municipality in the Portuguese Azores. The population in 2001 is 1,901, its density is 86.5/km² and the area is 21.97 km²...
. With the completion of the church, to the invocation of Sant'Ana, there was a move to elevate the village to parish: a fact that occurred several years later.
At the end of the 16th Century, Gaspar Frutuoso
Gaspar Frutuoso
Gaspar Frutuoso was a Portuguese priest, historian and humanist from the island of São Miguel, in the Azores...
referred to the settlement briefly as: "Lomba da Maia part of the sunrise escarpment with Grotinha da Fonte and the sunset escarpment with Grota da Cruz". The chronicler, still, referred to the small chapel of Nossa Senhora do Rosário on Lomba Grande. Similarly, Francisco Afonso de Chaves e Melo wrote of the settlers of Lomba da Maia in the following terms: "after Porto Formoso is the locality of Maia, civil parish of Espírito Santo. This location is the best situated on the island and is likely to become a villa. There exists in this parish two clergy, whom are annexed to the Church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário da Lomba and Nossa Senhora da Alegria in Furnas."
Between 1707 and 1760, the parish of Furnas
Furnas
Furnas is a civil parish in the municipality of Povoação on the island of São Miguel in the Azores. The population in 2001 was 1,541, its density is 44.76/km² and the area is 34.43 km². The parish is one of the largest in the island and in the Azores...
was integrated into Lomba da Maia.
The parish was finally elevated to the status of civil parish in 1908.
Geography
The parish is situated along the centre of the northern coast of the island of São MiguelSão Miguel Island
São Miguel Island , nicknamed "The Green Island", is the largest and most populous island in the Portuguese Azores archipelago. The island covers and has around 140,000 inhabitants, 45,000 of these people located in the largest city in the archipelago: Ponta Delgada.-History:In 1427, São Miguel...
, 21 kilometres from the town of Ribeira Grande, and 39 kilometres from the district capital, Ponta Delgada
Ponta Delgada
Ponta Delgada is a city and municipality on the island of São Miguel in the archipelago of the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal. It includes 44,403 residents in the urban area, and approximately 20,113 inhabitants in the three central parishes that comprise the historical city: São Pedro,...
. Its territory is planar from sharp coastal clips to the foothills of the Achada Plain, an area 600 meters above sea level. It is delimited in the east by course of the Ribeira Funda, which separates it from Fenais da Ajuda
Fenais da Ajuda
Fenais da Ajuda is a civil parish in the municipality of Ribeira Grande in the Azores. The population as of 2001 was 1,269, giving it a population density of 94.63 persons/km²; the land area is 13.41 km².-History:...
, west by the Ribeira das Faias, which separates it from the parish of Maia, and south by the limits of Ponta Garça.
Physical geography
Situated on the northern flank of the Furnas Volcanic Complex, the geomorpholy of Lombra da Maia is marked by its drainage basin that runs parallel to its lateral frontiers. As a result of the presence of easily-erodable pumicePumice
Pumice is a textural term for a volcanic rock that is a solidified frothy lava typically created when super-heated, highly pressurized rock is violently ejected from a volcano. It can be formed when lava and water are mixed. This unusual formation is due to the simultaneous actions of rapid...
covering the basaltic substratum, the valleys are profoundly carved forcing most settlements along a north-south orientation. Most of these valleys exceed 100 meters altitude, the rivers transporting most of the soils to the coast where they formed the Praia da Viola (a beach zone sited by early settlers for several mills).
Human geography
The parish includes two primary agglomerations:
- Lomba da Maia — the principal urbanized area of the parish, centered on the lomba that gave its name, is concentrated around the Church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário, and oriented north to south, parallel the principal ravines, to the north along the Rua da Igreja and to the south, along the highest point in the village in Trás do Outeiro. The civic center, almost all the public buildings and commerce, are located around the Church.
- Burguete — an are of less than 150 inhabitants, Burguete lies south of the Pico do Burguete, between the valleys of Ribeira da Faia (to the west) and Ribeira do Cavalo (to the east). The settlement has a linear structure (north to south), with the homes aligned along the principal street that parallels the right marign of the Ribeira da Faia.
The population during the 20th Century was controlled by internal politics and emigration to the United States (the Johnson-Reed Act, fixed quotas on Portuguese emigration to the U.S.), which persisted until the end of the Second World War. A growing trend continued until the 1960s, when the Kennedy-Pastore Act was enacted, resulting in a 25% decrease in the community. People from Lomba da Maia, during the period between 1960 and 1970, emigrated to North America, primarily to Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, but later to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In addition, a small community of ex-patriots also settled in Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
.
Economy
The economy of Lomba da Maia is dominated by agriculture, centered exclusively in dairy production. The affect of dairy production can be seen in the semi-permanent pasturelands throughout the interior, the cultivation of corn and sillage, and the even the parish flag, which incorporates a HolsteinHolstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
cow. Further, the cultivation of tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, sugar beats and, until recently chickory, have been important crops historically, but have lost their importance to the dairy industry. Flax
Flax
Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent...
was also cultivated in this area, for the threshing mills of Riberia Grande.
In parallel, smaller businesses have supported these communities: commercial shops, cafés and more recently, the expansion of rural tourism, centered on the old Herdade de Nossa Senhora das Graças. The production of local ceramic tiles, also an historically important part of the community, has long since been discontinued, but continues on the area of Telhal (which is toponomic variation on the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
word for tile).