Ponta do Lizardo

The waters of the Barlavento Islands surround the dry shores of São Vicente, where Ponta do Lizardo projects into the Atlantic. The island's lack of water delayed permanent settlement, despite the shelter offered by its great bay. A fort was built above Porto Grande in 1724, and in the 1790s João Carlos da Fonseca Rosado led settlers and enslaved people to the island. Their small settlement faced a difficult life on land whose aridity contrasted with the promise of its harbour.