Sugar City Museological Nucleus (MACA)

Category: Civil Architecture > Museum

District: Madeira > Funchal > Funchal > Sé

Location

The Sugar City Museum Centre is located in Praça Colombo, in the heart of the Sé district. This area, situated in the centre of Funchal, is a nerve centre of the city, easily accessible and integrated into its oldest urban fabric.

Its central position allows it to be a point of interest easily included in a tour of Funchal's historic area, offering a perspective on the city's foundations at its present location.

History at the Site

The genesis of this museum space dates back to an initial nucleus created in 1996. Its creation aimed to preserve the memory of a Manueline house that existed on this site, belonging to the merchant João Esmeraldo, and which unfortunately was destroyed in the 19th century.

The initial concept evolved, giving rise to the current museum, which is dedicated to telling the story of the "Sugar City" through a particular prism, linked to the discoveries made precisely on the ground where the museum is built.

The Sugar Era

Funchal's history in its first centuries is intrinsically linked to the so-called "Sugar Cycle". The growth of the village of artisans, which began in the mid-15th century, accelerated due to the production and trade of this commodity, which became one of the pillars of the island's economy and boosted urban development.

The wealth generated by sugar contributed significantly to Funchal's elevation to city status in 1508. The product was exported to various European ports, from the north of the continent (such as Bruges and Antwerp) to the Mediterranean, spreading Madeira's name around the world and shaping the city's initial identity.

The Archaeological Collection

The central focus of the Museum Centre is on the archaeological finds discovered in the city of Funchal, with particular emphasis on the excavation carried out in 1989. This excavation occurred precisely at the site where the museum stands today, corresponding to João Esmeraldo's former houses, which, despite being destroyed, held important remains.

The recovered artifacts offer a direct insight into the daily life of the city between the late 15th and mid-17th centuries. The collection includes a vast array of Portuguese ceramic fragments, popularly known as "Aranhões", dating from this period, as well as other everyday objects such as small amphorae, pipes, jugs, bowls, lead seals, and coins, mostly exhumed from an old well discovered during the excavations. These artifacts are material testimonies of the social and economic life of the era.

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