Article Nº 2213 Administrative or ecclesiastical division Vol. II · p. 605
Madeira (towns)
Original title: Madeira (Vilas da)
Lists the towns (vilas) of the archipelago in order of creation, from Machico and Porto Santo in the fifteenth century to Ribeira Brava in 1928, noting municipal seats never raised to town status.
In order of their creation, the towns of this archipelago are Machico and Porto Santo (mid-15th century), Ponta do Sol (1501), Calheta (1502), Santa Cruz (1515), São Vicente (1744) and Ribeira Brava (1928), which are the seats of the municipalities of the same names. The settlements of Câmara de Lobos, Porto Moniz and Santana are also the seats of their respective municipalities, but they were never raised to the rank of town. See each of these names.
Places mentioned
Chronology
- Machico and Porto Santo became the archipelago's first towns.
- By royal charter of D. Manuel I, Ponta do Sol was raised to the status of town and municipality.
- By royal charter Calheta was raised to a town and made a municipality, reducing the area of Ponta do Sol.
- King Manuel raised Santa Cruz to a town and municipality, created from Machico territory (dated 20 or 26 June 1515).
- A royal charter raised the parish of São Vicente to the status of a town and municipality, attaching northern localities such as Porto Moniz, Ponta Delgada and Seixal to it and further reducing the municipality of Machico.
- A decree raised the seat of Ribeira Brava to the status of vila, the last in the archipelago, and the locality Lugar was renamed Vila.