In 1466, Josse van Huerter and his Flemish compatriots landed on the beach in a misguided hope of discovery precious metals (in particular tin and silver).

[4] On 1 February 1718, many residents gathered at the Casa da Câmara (Municipal House), in Horta, following the catastrophic eruption on the island of Pico, which disturbed the parishes of Santa Luzia and Bandeiras.

From here, the local residents travelled in procession to the Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Our Lady of the Conception), with an image of Senhor Santo Cristo, which was met by another group of faithful carrying a statue of the Virgin Mary.

[6] Following the beginning of the First Portuguese Republic until 1926, owing to an anti-religious secularism in the political administration in Portugal (and the Azores), the masses of thanksgiving were discontinued.

[8] Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Graça, the comparatively large parish church, was mentioned in a document in 1568 for the first time.

This has steadily become an important primary economic resource, overtaking the traditional agriculture and dairy production, which is primarily concentrated to the west of the Regional Road.