Machico is a town and municipality of Madeira set in a valley. The Elucidário traces its municipal history from its probable creation around 1451, through the loss of territory to Santa Cruz, São Vicente and Santana. It also records its arms, its privileges and its new town hall of 1929.
1Mentioned in
- Municipalities — Seat of a captaincy and one of the first municipalities (c.1451).
- Municipalities — Early municipality, divided in 1515 to create Santa Cruz.
- Arriaga (Dr Manuel de) — Municipality whose parishes Arriaga toured in 1883.
- Arms — Municipality whose arms bear an armillary sphere.
- Deaneries — Municipality belonging to the Santa Cruz archpriest district.
- Sugar-cane mills — Municipality with four factories.
- Santana (municipality) — Municipality that received Porto da Cruz in 1852.
- By-laws — Its council printed its by-laws in 1856.
- Norte da Ilha — Municipality to which Porto da Cruz belongs.
- Costa do Sul (southern coast) — Municipality on the south coast, except for its northern parts.
- Costa do Norte — Municipality containing Porto da Cruz and Caniçal.
- Porto Moniz (municipality) — Municipality to which Porto Moniz and the whole north originally belonged.
- Funchal – I. Origin of the name — One of the three captaincies and later a municipality.
- Funchal (judicial district) — Municipality in the 1838 eastern comarca.
- Plateaux — Municipality containing Santo da Serra.
- Queimada — Municipality of the locality.
- Administrative organisation — Municipality that gained Porto da Cruz in 1852.
- Belvederes — Municipality containing the Macelas and Portela viewpoints.
- Fire of 1919 — Municipality affected.
- Costa de Cima — Municipality forming part of the Costa de Cima.
- Ermida — Municipality to which the locality belongs.
- Porto da Cruz (parish) — Municipality to which the parish has belonged since 1852.
- Annals of the Municipality — Its council produced annals, published in 1906.
- Água de Pena (parish) — Where Zarco first landed; neighbouring town and municipality.
- Land Registry Offices — Municipality served by the Santa Cruz registry.
- Santo António da Serra (parish) — Neighbouring parish and municipality; Santo da Serra was its filial curacy.
2Chronology
-
Zarco made the first landing on Madeira at Machico on the feast of the Visitation, where accompanying Franciscans reportedly celebrated the first Mass; next day he reached Porto do Seixo.
-
Charters of 1440, 1446 and 1450 granted the captaincies of Machico, Porto Santo and Funchal to their first captains.
-
King Manuel raised Santa Cruz to a town and municipality, created from Machico territory (dated 20 or 26 June 1515).
-
A new administrative organisation gave Madeira ten municipalities, creating among others Câmara de Lobos, Santana (including Porto da Cruz, over Machico's protests), Porto Moniz, São Vicente, Calheta and a reorganised Ponta do Sol; Funchal's limits were fixed at the end of the year and the district head became Civil Governor.
-
Civil Governor José Silvestre Ribeiro recommended building a viewpoint at Macelas, Machico, which was built soon after.
-
A decree transferred the parish of Porto da Cruz from Santana to the municipality of Machico and moved some Machico localities to Santa Cruz.
-
The Machico municipal council printed its by-laws as a pamphlet.