Machico

History

In calm waters of the early afternoon, on 1 July 1419, João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira disembarked on the beach of Machico, beginning the era of Portuguese discoveries. On the beach a Mass of thanksgiving was celebrated by Franciscan priests on the feast of the Visitation (2 June), an image of which accompanied the expedition. and continued to grow, following the course of the ravine into the valley. Two poles developed: the right margin, that included the main barrio and the town's public institutions (municipal chamber, customshouse and church), and the left margin, that included nucleus of Banda d'Além, the Misericórdia (social centre) and Chapel of Christ, now known as the Chapel of Nosso Senhor dos Milagres (Our Lord of Miracles). In 1803, a landslide was responsible for the destruction of various homes, destroying hedges and walls, the main bridge along the ravine and the Chapel of Nosso Senhor dos Milagres. Machico also became a front-line during the Revolta da Madeira (Madeira Revolt) in April 1931.

Geography

Machico is located 17 km northeast of Funchal, northwest of the uninhabitable Savage Islands, 20 km southeast of Santana and west-southwest of Porto Santo in the extreme eastern portion of the island of Madeira. It is linked by road from Funchal (the regional capital), to the Santana and the villages of Ribeira Seca and Caniçal. To the existence of mountains on the western coast, it is sandwiched along the coast from the rest of the islands' settlements, while forests lie towards the interior and grasslands cover the north-eastern corner of the municipality. Geomorphologically, the municipality is dominated by steeped and inclined topography, except in the Machico valley (where slopes are gentle), formed by two mountain ranges: in the east Pico do Facho and to the west the Queimada plateau. Examples of these differences include the area south of Porto da Cruz (in the watershed of Ribeira do Juncal) and in Caniçal (in the Ribeira da Palmeira watershed). Due to its location and morphological characteristics, the climate of Madeira is complex, whose difference from place to place is accentuated, even in areas relatively close. Machico temperatures are relatively moderate throughout the year, with variation relatively low (only accentuated between elevations). Administratively, the municipality is governed from its seat in the city of Machico, but five local juntas de freguesia (civil parish government) handle issues in the communities of: * Água de Pena – supposedly the area explored by João Gonçalos Zarco and his crew after anchoring in Madeira, Pena is the smallest parish in the municipality, and developed from various reconfigurations of the border between Machico and Santa Cruz, today its population includes 1700 inhabitants (2001 census); * Caniçal – an…

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,720
• Yellow-legged Gull

  Larus michahellis J.F.Naumann, 1840 · Aves
  3,700
• Eurasian Kestrel

  Falco tinnunculus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,699
• Island Canary

  Serinus canaria (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,429
• Madeira Chaffinch

  Fringilla maderensis Sharpe, 1888 · Aves
  3,195
• Eurasian Blackcap

  Sylvia atricapilla (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,005
• Madeira Wall Lizard

  Teira dugesii (Milne-Edwards, 1829) · Squamata
  2,985
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  2,812

Most recent

• M 4 — 2025-09-24
  38 km E of Caniçal, Portugal
• M 4.4 — 2022-04-09
  15 km SSE of Caniço, Portugal
• M 4.9 — 2022-02-16
  Madeira Islands, Portugal region
• M 3.8 — 2020-03-15
  46 km S of Caniço, Portugal
• M 5.3 — 2020-03-07
  27 km S of Caniço, Portugal
• M 4.1 — 2008-07-21
  57 km SE of Caniçal, Portugal