Cidade Velha, Historic Centre of Ribeira Grande

Ribeira Grande is the first European colonial settlement erected in the tropics. It marked a turning point in European development towards Africa and the Atlantic region towards the end of the 15th century. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Ribeira Grande became an important port of call for Portuguese colonisation and administration. Ribeira Grande was an amazing intercultural gathering site that was the origin of the first Creole society and a concentration of enslaved folks favouring inhumane behaviours. 

Cidade Velha

Cidade Velha was a major crossroads for international maritime trade, particularly between Africa and the Cape and Brazil and the Caribbean. It depicts intercontinental geopolitical ambitions at an early stage. Its isolated location, close to the African beaches, gave it an important platform for the modern-day Atlantic slave trade. On the border between temperate and tropical temperatures, the Ribeira Grande Valley saw innovative approaches to colonial agriculture. 

It evolved into a global platform for acclimation and the spread of vegetative species. It is located on Sao Tiago, one of the largest and most “African” islands in the oldest settlements of the Cape Verde archipelago. Cidade Velha, 15 kilometres outside the city, was the ancient capital. The settlement of Cidade Velha is nestled at the bottom of the Ribera Grande valley, which was previously created after the countryside until the history and the migration of the capital to Praia authorised the name change. 

The Portuguese “Fort Real de Sao Filipe,” erected in 1590 (possible retaliation to the town’s assault by Sir Francis Drake? ), stands 100 metres above the desert plateau. It’s a decent enough spot with great views of the valleys and coasts. 

History of Cidade Velha 

When Cape Verde island was discovered in 1460, they were uninhabited. The oldest settlement of Cape Verde began in 1466, and da Gama and Columbus visited this port on their exploration journeys. The church, built-in 1495, is the world’s “oldest colonial church.” Ribeira Grande de Santiago’s old city (Cidade Velha) is one of Sub-Saharan Africa’s most senior European colonies. It served as a major seaport for the slave traffic between West Africa and the Americas. 

The town has several historically important buildings and ruins that are preserved. Slavery began with the Portuguese exploration of Africa, and the island became a location for enslaved people and an intermediate “storage.” The other significant “historic landmark,” besides the Fort and the Church, was a post in the central plaza to which enslaved people were originally tied. 

Oldest Settlements in Cape Verde

The monuments, remnants, and marine and agro-urban environments of Ribeira Grande attest to its essential factor in world exchanges related to the rise of European colonial dominance over Africa and America and the genesis of the Atlantic triangular commerce. They attest to establishing the earliest international shipping routes and, more specifically, to Ribeira Grande’s role as a crossroads for acclimatisation and diffusion between temperate and tropical zones on different continents. 

Ribeira Grande de Santiago is one of the oldest settlements of Cape Verde concelho, which means municipality. It is located on the island of Santiago’s southwestern coast. Ribeira Grande is inextricably related to the visible expressions of African people’s enslavement and enslaved person trade history and its important cultural and economic ramifications. 

The cradle of the first indigenous creole society was Ribeira Grande. Creole culture migrated over the Atlantic by responding to new colonial conditions in the Caribbean and America. Its manifestations impact the arts, social and religious conventions, beliefs, pharmacopoeia, and culinary traditions. 

Ribeira Grande is a vital first connection in transmitting intangible cultural heritage between Africa, the Americas, and Europe.

Conclusion

The harbour of Cidade Velha served as a stopover for two great voyagers: Vasco da Gama, on his journey to India in 1497, and Christopher Columbus, on his third visit to the United States in 1498. In 1522, it served as a rest station for the famous explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who was on his route to round the globe while operating under the Spanish crown. Since 2009, the city has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In this article, we have discussed the history of Cidade Velha and explored various facts about the Oldest settlements on Cape Verde.