Cidade Velha, Historic Centre of Ribeira Grande

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Cidade Velha, Historic Centre of Ribeira Grande: A Glimpse into Cape Verde's Colonial Past

The historic centre of Ribeira Grande, now known as Cidade Velha, offers a captivating window into Cape Verde's rich colonial history. Situated on the southern coast of Santiago Island, this ancient settlement holds significant importance as the first European colonial outpost in the tropics.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

The town of Ribeira Grande, renamed Cidade Velha in the late 18th century, was the first European colonial outpost in the tropics. Located in the south of the island of Santiago, the town features some of the original street layout impressive remains including two churches, a royal fortress and Pillory Square with its ornate 16th century marble pillar.

UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site

Criterion (ii): The monuments, the remains still present in Ribeira Grande and its maritime and agro-urban landscapes, are testimony to its considerable role in international trade associated with the development of European colonial domination towards Africa and America and the birth of Atlantic triangular trade. They are testimony to the organisation of the first intercontinental maritime trade, and Ribeira Grande’s role as centre for the acclimatisation and dissemination of numerous plant species between the temperate and tropical zones, and between the various continents.

Criterion (iii): The urban, maritime and landscape of Ribeira Grande provides eminent testimony to the origins and the development of over three centuries of Atlantic trade of enslaved persons in modern times and its relationships of domination. It was a major place for its commercial organisation and the early experience of using enslaved persons to develop a colonial territory. The mixing of human races and the meeting of African and European cultures gave birth to the first Creole culture.

Criterion (vi): Ribeira Grande is directly associated with the material manifestation of the history of the enslavement and trafficking of African peoples, and with its considerable cultural and economic consequences. Ribeira Grande was the cradle of the first fully fledged mixed-race Creole society. Creole culture then spread across the Atlantic, adapting to the different colonial contexts of the Caribbean and Americas. Its forms affected many fields including the arts, social customs, beliefs, the pharmacopoeia, and cooking techniques. Ribeira Grande is an important initial link in an intangible heritage shared by Africa, the Americas and Europe.

Encyclopedia Record: Cidade Velha

Cidade Velha is a city in the southern part of the island of Santiago, Cape Verde. Founded in 1462 by Portuguese traders, it is the oldest settlement in Cape Verde and its former capital. Once called Ribeira Grande by the Portuguese colonists, they changed its name to Cidade Velha in the late 18th century after relocating the capital to Praia. It is the seat of the Ribeira Grande de Santiago municipality.

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