Tales of the Old Country, with Alcides Machado

January 1, the 1980 Azores Island earthquake killed 73 people and injured over 400, causing severe damage on the islands of Terceira and São Jorge. Measuring 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale, it also shook the islands of Pico and Faial. Topo Islet (Ilhéu do Topo) is an islet measuring around (200,000 m²), flat, located a short distance from the coast of the village of Topo, in the extreme southeast of the island of São Jorge, Azores. The islet is integrated into the Special Protection Zone of Ilhéu do Topo and the Adjacent Coast, a legally protected area due to its richness in marine birdlife. Several colonies of seabirds nest on the islet, namely rosy tern (Sterna dougallii), common tern (Sterna hirundo), common tern (Puffinus baroli), angelito (Oceanodroma castro), and shearwater (Calonectris diomedea borealis).

A little bit of the history of Topo. Topo is located on the eastern edge of S. Jorge and belongs to the Municipality of Calheta. The latitude of 38º 40 North and the longitude of 28º 07 West, in the geographic center of the Azores archipelago, lies S. Jorge. Although there is no certainty regarding the discovery of the island, it is known that the settlement of Topo began in 1470, with the arrival of Guilherme da Silveira on the island, and that his first Settlers came from Entre-Douro and Minho. Some argue that the name of this village – Topo – is because it was where the ships of the first colonizers “came across”; others say that the name is because it is the highest part of the area. In the past, on the island of São Jorge, life was not easy at all. The families were numerous; some had 10 children, others had 20… Typically, the eldest son was the one who had started working earlier. At just 14 years of age, he was already riding horses at night to go on his way to milk the cows.

New Segment; TALES OF THE OLD COUNTRY

We encourage you to contribute stories from the Old Country, whether personal or familial. Our platform seeks to share these tales internationally through Amá Conversa articles, featured in Novidades Newsletter .com (The Islands & the Diaspora), an initiative of Bruma Publications & Fresno State’s Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute , directed by Professor Diniz Borges. Submit to marisarod89@gmail.com