Ribeira Quente
Encyclopedia
Ribeira Quente is a civil parish in the municipality of Povoação
in the Portuguese
Azores
. The population in 2001 is 798 in an area of 9.04 km² (its density is 88.27/km²): the smallest in area, the lowest and the southernmost parish in municipality.
It is slightly located about nearly 6 km from the famous geysers of Furnas. The main industry are agriculture. It is connected with a road linking Ponta Delgada, Lagoa along with Ribeira Grande and the town seat. It is located E of Lagoa, SE of Ribeira Grande and W of the municipal seat. The Atlantic Ocean
is to the south. The mountains are to the north and farmlands are in the central part. Most of the parish are mountainous.
In 1588 a huge landslide from the valley of Furnas, provoked by intense rainfall, caused the expansion of the land in Ribeira Quente. Similarly the volcanic eruption on September 2, 1630, in Furnas, caused the flow of debris that inundated the river and covered the coast, limiting the access of local shipping that had once use to transit the area. Around sedentary community was established along the coast following these events.
Around 1765, the first chapel to Saint Paul was established by peoples from Villa Franca do Campo; at the time Ribeira Quente was part of the parish this municipality. A second structure was built around 1796-98, when the space became insufficient for the community and its proximity to the sea resulted in some damage to the structure.
The Fort of São Paulo was an important part of the communities defence during the era of piracy. Located west of Fogo beach, an area where privateers and pirates could easily disembark, the Fort was established in an area with high cliffs; by 1817 the Fort was in ruins and its artillery removed. In 1839, Ribeira Quente was integrated into the municipality of Povoação, which was obliged to construct a rudimentary road, the Caminho do Redondo, as part of the act of union. It was during the visit of King Carlos I of Portugal
that a symbol stone was placed to mark the construction of an access road from Ribeira Quente to the regional road network. This project would only be completed 37 years later.
During the first have of the 20th Century, one of the larger engineering projects carried out on the island of São Miguel was the construction of two tunnels (referred locally as the Tuneis de Liberidade) that linked Furnas to the southern village. The first tunnel was inaugurated in 1935, while the second occurred four years later. As part of greater economic and social development, the requalification and improvements in the road links between Ribeira Quente and Furnas, and expansion of the fishing port were conducted during the middle of the century.
The community which was no more than a locality in the parish of Furnas, was elevated to administrative parish on June 24, 1943, due to the efforts of its parish priest, Father José Jacinto da Costa (locally referred to as Padre José Mansinho): at the time the population had reached 1800 residents. The following year, the first elected members of the Junta de Freguesia (English: civil committee), Luís Linhares de Deus (President/Mayor), João Jacinto Rita (Treasurer) and João Vieira Jerónimo (Secretary) take office, along with the parishes first police authority, Francisco Pacheco de Medeiros. The population of the community would continue to grow, reaching 2421 residents by 1965, where it would begin to decreasing due to emigration.
On June 26, 1952, an earthquake in the region of Furnas caused the almost total destruction of the residential homes in the parish. But, on the morning of October 31, 1997 the community would be rocked by a landslide caused by weaknesses in the earth after rain-showers, which engulfed the homes between Fogo and Ribeira Quente, killing 29 people who lived in the area of Canada da Igreja. The following year, the area was incorporated into the Avenida Marginal and new port that limited the construction of homes.
on the west, the parishes of Furnas
to the north, and Povoação
to the east. Although it pertained to the religious faith community of Villa Franca do Campo, it was incorporated into Povoação in the early part of the 20th Century. The lands in the northern part of the parish are owned by José do Canto
, the benevolent society of Furnas and front Pico dos Bodes. To the south, until the coast, the ravine Ribeira do Agrião and Grota do Tufo carves an access to the coastal community. The north-east of the parish is made up of andesite
deposits, while the north-west is primarily basalt
ic deposits. But the parish is made up chiefly of pyroclastic materials and projectiles, while in the central area there are deposits of ash. It is located in a seismic area marked by regional tectonic structures and by the volcanic craters of Furnas and Povoação; there are visible examples of dykes
, faults and landslides associated with historical earthquakes.
The northern part of the parish is part of the protected zone associated with the Lagoa das Furnas crater lake. Generally, the land use in this area is limited, although classification of land-use in Ribeira Quente covers a range of seven classes (Classes I-VII), with progressively increasing limitation levels. Owing to the forested spaces, levels of protection and urbanization there are few areas available for agricultural production. There are great differences in altitude within the parish, owing to the mountainous and morphological nature of the area. The slopes (between 6-20% incline) along the coast and interior condition many of the land-uses and levels of erosion, and have reduced the access to the community.
Physically, the population groups are concentrated in two areas: the main village of Ribeira Quente and a smaller agglomeration called Fogo. Ribeira Quente is situated at the convergence of the Ribeira dos Tambores with the ocean, and is the site of the main fishing port, adjacent homes, commercial businesses and administrative buildings. The locality of Fogo surrounds the main parochial church of São Paulo, erected between 1911 and 1917. In this area is a small bay and main beach: Praia do Fogo. The existence of hydrothermal vents makes the waters in this area popular with visitors and locals alike, owing to the tepid waters in comparison to other coastal pools.
on the island.
Povoação
Povoação is a municipality located in the southern part of São Miguel Island in the Azores. It has a population of 6,696 inhabitants and a total area of 108 km².-Geography:...
in 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...
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...
. The population in 2001 is 798 in an area of 9.04 km² (its density is 88.27/km²): the smallest in area, the lowest and the southernmost parish in municipality.
It is slightly located about nearly 6 km from the famous geysers of Furnas. The main industry are agriculture. It is connected with a road linking Ponta Delgada, Lagoa along with Ribeira Grande and the town seat. It is located E of Lagoa, SE of Ribeira Grande and W of the municipal seat. The Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
is to the south. The mountains are to the north and farmlands are in the central part. Most of the parish are mountainous.
History
Generally, the community has been populated by a poor peasant class for the greater part of its history. A local historian pointed to the integration of several families, and particular the rise of a few families:- "If we examine, by supposition, based on physio-PhysiognomyPhysiognomyPhysiognomy is the assessment of a person's character or personality from their outer appearance, especially the face...
appearances, we can say that the largest ethnic group in Ribeira Quente, (the Regos) due to their dark skin or their comportment and complexion, could have something to do with the Sousas, Arrudas and Monteiros from Santa Maria; with the Botelhos and Bentos of Vila FrancaVila Franca do CampoVila 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...
and Povoação VelhaPovoaçãoPovoação is a municipality located in the southern part of São Miguel Island in the Azores. It has a population of 6,696 inhabitants and a total area of 108 km².-Geography:...
, or even that the Resendes and Bentos from Faial da TerraFaial da TerraFaial da Terra is a civil parish in the municipality of Povoação on the island of São Miguel in the Azores. The population in 2001 is 377, its density is 33.13/km² and the area is 11.38 km². It is located in the southeastern part of the island. The main industry are agriculture. It is connected...
. But the Peixotos from Ribeira Quente, that immense clan, which always identified itself with the sea and only with the sea?...The physical complexion, between medium and tall, violent temperament and complicated discussion, which quickly turned to pacificism, was a beautiful group, men as well as women. With a red-freckled skin, vivid blue eyes, they are markedly different from other peoples, just as those peoples who settled in RelvaRelvaRelva is a parish in the district of Ponta Delgada in the Azores. The population in 2001 is 2703, its density is 223.39/km² and the area is 12.1 km². Relva are surrounded by mountains near the area including an escarpment slightly east of Relva. It is located in the southwestern part of the...
and Bretanha, and which many historians mention or identify in order not to offend historical susceptibility: the Peixotos of Ribeira Quente were prolific and brave in the sea. The women of that clan are a species of warrior women, during a marked time. Whether it was in domestic work, or in the fields or others, for their physical strength, they called them beasts of burden. Fundamentally, the Peixotos of Ribeira Grande were the perfect prototypes of the Nordic peoples."
In 1588 a huge landslide from the valley of Furnas, provoked by intense rainfall, caused the expansion of the land in Ribeira Quente. Similarly the volcanic eruption on September 2, 1630, in Furnas, caused the flow of debris that inundated the river and covered the coast, limiting the access of local shipping that had once use to transit the area. Around sedentary community was established along the coast following these events.
Around 1765, the first chapel to Saint Paul was established by peoples from Villa Franca do Campo; at the time Ribeira Quente was part of the parish this municipality. A second structure was built around 1796-98, when the space became insufficient for the community and its proximity to the sea resulted in some damage to the structure.
The Fort of São Paulo was an important part of the communities defence during the era of piracy. Located west of Fogo beach, an area where privateers and pirates could easily disembark, the Fort was established in an area with high cliffs; by 1817 the Fort was in ruins and its artillery removed. In 1839, Ribeira Quente was integrated into the municipality of Povoação, which was obliged to construct a rudimentary road, the Caminho do Redondo, as part of the act of union. It was during the visit of King Carlos I of Portugal
Carlos I of Portugal
-Assassination:On 1 February 1908 the royal family returned from the palace of Vila Viçosa to Lisbon. They travelled by train to Barreiro and, from there, they took a steamer to cross the Tagus River and disembarked at Cais do Sodré in central Lisbon. On their way to the royal palace, the open...
that a symbol stone was placed to mark the construction of an access road from Ribeira Quente to the regional road network. This project would only be completed 37 years later.
During the first have of the 20th Century, one of the larger engineering projects carried out on the island of São Miguel was the construction of two tunnels (referred locally as the Tuneis de Liberidade) that linked Furnas to the southern village. The first tunnel was inaugurated in 1935, while the second occurred four years later. As part of greater economic and social development, the requalification and improvements in the road links between Ribeira Quente and Furnas, and expansion of the fishing port were conducted during the middle of the century.
The community which was no more than a locality in the parish of Furnas, was elevated to administrative parish on June 24, 1943, due to the efforts of its parish priest, Father José Jacinto da Costa (locally referred to as Padre José Mansinho): at the time the population had reached 1800 residents. The following year, the first elected members of the Junta de Freguesia (English: civil committee), Luís Linhares de Deus (President/Mayor), João Jacinto Rita (Treasurer) and João Vieira Jerónimo (Secretary) take office, along with the parishes first police authority, Francisco Pacheco de Medeiros. The population of the community would continue to grow, reaching 2421 residents by 1965, where it would begin to decreasing due to emigration.
On June 26, 1952, an earthquake in the region of Furnas caused the almost total destruction of the residential homes in the parish. But, on the morning of October 31, 1997 the community would be rocked by a landslide caused by weaknesses in the earth after rain-showers, which engulfed the homes between Fogo and Ribeira Quente, killing 29 people who lived in the area of Canada da Igreja. The following year, the area was incorporated into the Avenida Marginal and new port that limited the construction of homes.
Geography
This is a coastal community, at the mouth of a major ravine and bordered by the municipality of 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...
on the west, the parishes 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...
to the north, and Povoação
Povoação
Povoação is a municipality located in the southern part of São Miguel Island in the Azores. It has a population of 6,696 inhabitants and a total area of 108 km².-Geography:...
to the east. Although it pertained to the religious faith community of Villa Franca do Campo, it was incorporated into Povoação in the early part of the 20th Century. The lands in the northern part of the parish are owned by José do Canto
José do Canto
José do Canto was Azorean landowner and intellectual who distinguished himself as a bibliographer and promoter new agricultural technologies and species into the Azores...
, the benevolent society of Furnas and front Pico dos Bodes. To the south, until the coast, the ravine Ribeira do Agrião and Grota do Tufo carves an access to the coastal community. The north-east of the parish is made up of andesite
Andesite
Andesite is an extrusive igneous, volcanic rock, of intermediate composition, with aphanitic to porphyritic texture. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between basalt and dacite. The mineral assemblage is typically dominated by plagioclase plus pyroxene and/or hornblende. Magnetite,...
deposits, while the north-west is primarily basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
ic deposits. But the parish is made up chiefly of pyroclastic materials and projectiles, while in the central area there are deposits of ash. It is located in a seismic area marked by regional tectonic structures and by the volcanic craters of Furnas and Povoação; there are visible examples of dykes
Dike (geology)
A dike or dyke in geology is a type of sheet intrusion referring to any geologic body that cuts discordantly across* planar wall rock structures, such as bedding or foliation...
, faults and landslides associated with historical earthquakes.
The northern part of the parish is part of the protected zone associated with the Lagoa das Furnas crater lake. Generally, the land use in this area is limited, although classification of land-use in Ribeira Quente covers a range of seven classes (Classes I-VII), with progressively increasing limitation levels. Owing to the forested spaces, levels of protection and urbanization there are few areas available for agricultural production. There are great differences in altitude within the parish, owing to the mountainous and morphological nature of the area. The slopes (between 6-20% incline) along the coast and interior condition many of the land-uses and levels of erosion, and have reduced the access to the community.
Physically, the population groups are concentrated in two areas: the main village of Ribeira Quente and a smaller agglomeration called Fogo. Ribeira Quente is situated at the convergence of the Ribeira dos Tambores with the ocean, and is the site of the main fishing port, adjacent homes, commercial businesses and administrative buildings. The locality of Fogo surrounds the main parochial church of São Paulo, erected between 1911 and 1917. In this area is a small bay and main beach: Praia do Fogo. The existence of hydrothermal vents makes the waters in this area popular with visitors and locals alike, owing to the tepid waters in comparison to other coastal pools.
Economy
The fishery, where approximately 133 claim income, represents 10.8% of the island's catches in 1985. Even without major infrastructural improvements the area's fishery maintained a reasonable rate of return. The improvements in the ports of Ribeira Quente and Povoação resulted in greater catches and expansion of the local fleet, which was responsible for the largest catches of tunaTuna
Tuna is a salt water fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers, and some species are capable of speeds of . Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, the muscle tissue of tuna ranges from pink to dark red. The red coloration derives from myoglobin, an...
on the island.