Cabouco Museological Nucleus

Category: Civil Architecture > Museum

District: Açores > Lagoa > Cabouco

Location:

The Museum Centre is located in the village of Cabouco, one of the civil parishes that make up the municipality of Lagoa, on São Miguel Island, Azores.

It is integrated into the local community environment, reflecting the history and traditions that define this area and are directly related to its origin and name.

The Building and its Architecture

This cultural space is housed in an old rural dwelling, whose main construction dates back to the 19th century. This original two-storey building is complemented by a more recent extension area, located to the north of the historic property.

The architectural combination allows visitors to observe the structure of a traditional house of the period and, at the same time, host exhibitions in a manner suitable for current museological standards.

Lagoa's Cultural Heritage

As an integral part of the Lagoa Museum, the Cabouco Museum Centre is dedicated to showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the municipality, encompassing both the tangible and intangible aspects that have shaped the lives and identity of its people throughout the centuries.

It plays an active role in the study, safeguarding, and dissemination of this heritage, considering it an essential element for local identity and a valuable source for research into the traditions and history of the region.

Working the Land

On the ground floor of the historic building, there is an exhibition dedicated to agricultural activities that were fundamental to the municipality's development. It displays a collection of implements and tools that were essential for working the land and for transforming the rural landscape, from the island's earliest settlement times.

Trades of Yesteryear

The upper floor of the centre features recreated work environments that showcase some of the traditional trades that marked the lives of Lagoa's communities. Visitors can observe the spaces and tools associated with activities such as carpentry, shoemaking, or barbering, which were once essential in daily local life.

Daily Life in the Traditional Kitchen

Also on the upper floor, there is a permanent musealization of the original kitchen of the dwelling that houses the centre. This space highlights the central role the kitchen played in traditional domestic life, being the heart of the Azorean rural home and a place for family socialising and work.

It is a way to understand the daily lives and customs of families from bygone eras through one of the most symbolic spaces of the Azorean home.

The Trade That Gave the Land Its Name

One of the highlighted trades, which has a direct and fundamental link to the village of Cabouco, is that of the 'cabouqueiro' (stonecutter/quarryman). This activity, centered on extracting stone from quarries, traditionally called "caboucos", was essential for the livelihood of many families in the region and for the development of civil construction.

The extracted stone was then used in the construction of buildings throughout the municipality of Lagoa. It was precisely the importance of this activity and the need for proximity to raw material sources that led many families to settle in this location, giving rise to and naming the civil parish of Cabouco, a historical legacy that the museum helps to preserve and explain.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt