Azores Meet the Tropics, near Argolares.
Tucked into the lush, remote southern coast of São Tomé, not far from the village of Angolares, lies a forgotten chapter of Portuguese colonial ambition — the Roça Colónia Açoriana. Getting here is half the adventure: the road winds from the northern capital, tracing the wild eastern coastline until the jungle gives way to sea views and the echo of history.
Founded in the late 19th century by two enterprising brothers from the Azores — Domingos Machado da Silveira e Paulo and João Jorge da Silveira e Paulo (1857-1933) — the plantation was aptly named “Açoriana,” a bold attempt to transplant their Atlantic heritage into the steaming heart of the tropics. It’s believed they may have been part of São Tomé’s lesser-known Jewish diaspora, escaping persecution and finding refuge — and reinvention — in these fertile lands.
The plantation once crowned a high ridge above the ocean, its terreiro (central courtyard) commanding spectacular views. Archival photographs reveal an impressive estate: an elevated administrative house flanked by greenhouses, warehouses, drying rooms, and senzalas — the slave quarters that speak to a darker legacy. A narrow-gauge railway, nearly 2 km long, once ferried cocoa from the drying patios to the shipping ports, steam locomotives chugging through the forest like something from a dream.
Among the faded sepia photographs from the early 20th century, one in particular catches the eye — a carefully staged image, likely "for the English to see." A group of Black laborers stands stiffly, all dressed in European garments comically ill-suited to the tropical heat. Starched collars, waistcoats, and woolen trousers cling awkwardly in the equatorial sun, revealing more about colonial performance than plantation life itself. It’s a haunting reminder of how empire often posed for the camera — dressed not for reality, but for narrative.
Like many grand plantations of the early 20th century, Colónia Açoriana eventually joined forces with larger agricultural corporations, including the Companhia Agrícola das Neves. But time, and history, moved on. Today, traces of the roça remain hidden beneath the vines — echoes of the Azorean spirit, of colonial ambition, and of lives lived between exile and empire.
Google Map
Nearest hotels
- Roça São João dos Angolares, Santa Cruz: 0,5kms
- Hotel Campismo Praia Grande, Monte Carmo
- Gombela Ecolodge and Farming
- Domus Praia Jalé, Água Côco
- N’Guembú Nature Resort: 0,6 kms
- 7 ventos, Alto Douro
