TOPONYMIC COMPLICITIES

The city of Ponta Delgada pays special toponymic attention to the historical emigration of the Azorean people to Brazil, the United States of America, and Canada.

In general, with “Rua do Emigrante” (Emigrant Street) in 1998 and “Avenida das Comunidades Açorianas” (Avenue of the Azorean Communities) in 2009.

Specifically, with “Rua do Brasil,” “Praceta de Brasília,” “Rua de São Paulo,” and “Praceta do Rio de Janeiro,” jointly inaugurated in 1987, or with “Rua Cidade de Porto Alegre” and “Rua Cidade de Toronto,” both in 2003.

In this context, the place names that enshrine Ponta Delgada’s special relationship with its sister cities deserve special mention: “Rua Cidade de Fall River” in 1998, “Rua Cidade de San Leandro” in 2000, and “Rua Cidade de Newport” in 2003, representing the US states of Massachusetts, California, and Rhode Island.

The toponymic sign for “Rua Cidade de Florianópolis,” evoking the capital of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, was inaugurated on May 26, 2003, in the Arcanjo Lar neighborhood of the São José parish in the city of Ponta Delgada.

Before this, Municipal Law No. 6124 of December 6, 2002, was passed in Santa Catarina, “declaring the city of Ponta Delgada, located on the island of São Miguel, Azores, Portugal, as a sister city of Florianópolis.”

After that, the formal twinning agreement between the two cities was signed in São Miguel on June 18, 2003, by the Mayor of Ponta Delgada, Berta Cabral, and the Mayor of Florianópolis, Angela Amin.

More than the culmination of a process that I had the honor of preparing, on the island there, with Lélia Nunes, on the island here, the twinning of Ponta Delgada and Florianópolis, already established as the toponym of our city, is the starting point for the recognition of other curious toponymic similarities that we can find between the two municipalities.

And we can even see an irresistible antagonism: while the island of São Miguel has the parish of São José de Ponta Delgada, the island of Santa Catarina has the place of São José da Ponta Grossa, in both cases, coincidentally, with important military fortresses.

However, the most evident and exciting Azorean presence on Santa Catarina soil is evident in place names such as “Praia dos Açores” (Azores Beach) in the city of Florianópolis, “Caminho dos Açores” (Azores Road) in the district of Santo António de Lisboa, or “Servidão dos Açorianos” (Azoreans’ Servitude) in the neighborhood of Campeche.

But there are place names that are literally common to the municipalities of Florianópolis and Ponta Delgada: “Papaterra” in the district of São João do Rio Vermelho and in the parish of São José; “Rua da Alegria” in the district of Cachoeira do Bom Jesus and in the parish of São José; “Rua das Palmeiras” (Palm Tree Street), in the district of Lagoa da Conceição and in the parish of Relva; “Rua de Nossa Senhora da Conceição” (Our Lady of the Conception Street), in the district of Lagoa da Conceição and in the parish of Capelas; “Rua de São Pedro” (St. Peter Street), in the neighborhood of Estreito and in the parishes of São Pedro and Fenais da Luz; “Rua do Laureano,” in the district of Campeche and in the parish of São Pedro; “Rua do Paraíso,” in the district of Cachoeira do Bom Jesus and in the parish of Candelária; “Rua dos Eucaliptos,” in the districts of Campeche and Canasvieiras and in the parish of Livramento.

These are toponymic coincidences that emphasize historical complicity and fuel institutional relations.

A final word to evoke here, by way of example, some historical place names with clear Brazilian references that can be found in the Azores in general: “Monte Brasil,” an emblematic image of the city of Angra do Heroísmo, on Terceira Island; “Lugar do Brasil,” in the parish of Almagreira, on the island of Santa Maria; “Grota do Brasil,” a stream in the parish of Feteiras, on the island of São Miguel; “Lugar da Brasileira,” belonging to the parish of Santo António, on the island of Pico; “Monte da Brasileira,” in the village of Santa Cruz on the island of Graciosa; or “Caminho da Brasileira,” in the parish of Guadalupe, also on the island of Graciosa.

And other Azorean place names remind us of Brazil: “Maranhão” on the island of São Miguel, “Sertão” on the island of Pico, and “Pão de Açúcar” on the island of Corvo.

After all, place names tell stories and create memories.

Through toponymy, we can also stay together forever!

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José Andrade is the current Regional Director of Communities of the Autonomous Region of the Azores.

Excerpt from a lecture given at the International Congress on 270 Years of Azorean Presence in Santa Catarina, held in Florianópolis, April 20, 2018

Translated by Diniz Borges