Oral tradition states that the at São José Vaddo the original buildings were arranged around a narrow lane for protection against bands of Marathi "dacots" who would attack at night during the seventeenth century.

The top of the lane was on high ground were villages would appoint a night guard that could overlook each hamlet.

The Jesuit Province of Malabar owned palm groves at Cunchelim in 1759 from which it earned an income and they continued to own the palm groves at Cunchelim in 1773 [4] The village was within walking distance of Mapusa and was served by a chapel for daily prayer, but all major religious events took place at Mapusa, where in 1779 the church of St. Jerome was rebuilt.

Perhaps as a result of his position the chapel of Cunchelim was given a new provision of erection on 20 December 1847, though it remained filial to the Parish of Mapusa.

Cunchelim became more involved with the outside world in early nineteenth century with the creation of a school with a chair of Latin at Mapusa.

[11] Young men of the village started to leave for Bombay where they would seek work in the British Indian civil service or with the growing number of steamship companies.

Some young men even ventured to British East Africa, finding employment in present-day Kenya and Uganda.

In the later twentieth century like other Goans many people from Cunchelim emigrated to the Persian Gulf seeking work in Kuwait, Bahrain, Dubai and Oman.

Cunchelim forms part of 05-Mapusa Legislative Assembly constituency, which is represented by Mr Joshua Peter D'Souza of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

It also forms part of 01-North Goa Lok Sabha/Parliamentary Constituency, represented by Union Minister of State for Defence and AYUSH, Mr Shripad Yesso Naik, elected on the Bharatiya Janata Party ticket.

Cunchelim is connected by bus to the towns of Mapusa and Panaji/Panjim and to the villages of Morjim, Chopdem, Siolim, Camurlim and Colvale.