Salão

History

The settlement of Salão can be traced back to 1620, to a Castilian family that moved there from the adjacent community of Santa Bárbara (now the area of Praça in Cedros). The family originally settled there in 1589, but after an acrimonious disagreement between neighbors, the family moved farther south. They constructed a new home in the zone that would be referred to as Carapeta; Carapeta (or Carapeto) is a disused term referring to "one who makes lies or liars". The nucleus of what would develop into Salão started in Carapeta, around the river-valleys that crossed the area. A local fountain () supported the small community (of mostly Spanish settlers) in its infancy, until it was destroyed in the 1926 earthquake. They brought to the island their worship of Nossa Senhora do Perpétuo Socorro (Our Lady of Perpetual Help/Aid); a statue was brought from Spain, specifically. The statue was 80 cm tall, can completely covered in gold leaf. Years later the statue was removed and placed in the hands of a local family from Canto, whom conserved the image for many years. By 1640, with the dissolution of the Iberian Union, the Spanish were expelled by inhabitants of Cedros. As the story goes, masked and armed residents of Cedros with pitchforks, sickles, knives and hoes, ordered the local residents to collect their clothing and leave the parish. Driving them towards Horta, the Cedrenses accompanied the Spanish as far as Alto da Ribeirinha (in the neighboring parish of Ribeirinha). As they returned from the expulsion, the inhabitants discovered many of the Spanish clothing lying along the route. From there on, the area became known as Espalhafatos which literally means "scattered suits", referring to the ornamented clothing found scattered along the route. But…

Geography

Salão (also referred to as Solão historically) derives its name from the term for a mixture of clay, sand and tephra derived from pyroclastic projectiles. The zone of Salão, which occupies the space between the Riberinha Graben and Cedros Plateau is an area of deposits of lapilli particulars, or tephra projectiles smaller than 64 mm. The name Salão refers to the historical local common name for these materials; in current Portuguese taxonomy, Salão, literally means "large hall" or "living room", and the reference to volcanic ejecta is not familiar. The parish is located on the north coast of Faial, between Riberinha and Cedros, linked to other communities by the Regional Road E.R. 1-1ª, that encircles the island and connects it to the city of Horta. The parish is composed of several "communities" (similar to neighborhoods) that include Canada do Arrabalde, Canada do Barão, Canada da Dona Catarina, Canada do Mestre, Carapeto de Baixo, Carapeto de Cima and Salão. One of the primary areas of environmental protection is the Parque Florestal do Cabouco Velho (Forest Park of Cabouco Velho), located in Alta, in the civil parish. An area of 5 hectares, the park provides areas for picnicking, with grills and washrooms, in an area protected to conserve the endemic plants and fauna. Today, the Parque de Campismo(camping park) adds another layer to local activities and tourist attractions of the island, providing areas to camp, grills and public washrooms for traveling hikers and tourists.

Most recent

• M 4.3 — 2023-01-17
  57 km W of Tarauacá, Brazil
• M 6.5 — 2022-06-08
  107 km SSW of Tarauacá, Brazil
• M 4.7 — 2015-11-25
  78 km WSW of Tarauacá, Brazil
• M 4.7 — 2010-10-30
  54 km WNW of Tarauacá, Brazil
• M 6.1 — 2007-07-21
  55 km W of Tarauacá, Brazil
• M 4.2 — 2006-04-03
  94 km SSW of Tarauacá, Brazil