Ponta Delgada

Ponta Delgada stands on the south coast of São Miguel, the largest island of the Azores. Its harbor and fertile hinterland helped it grow into an important center of island commerce. A customs house was established here in 1518, and the settlement became the island’s chief town before the earthquake that devastated Vila Franca do Campo in 1522. Its position gave merchants access both to the produce of São Miguel and to shipping across the Atlantic.