There are 46 homes located between the Saúde Beach and the Mata Beach, in Costa de Caparica, Portugal. Originally built by fishermen, some of these dwellings are quite old, with more than 100 years. Their typology is very similar to the habitations of the Avieiros do Tejo, fishing communities originating from the Vieira de Leiria Beach, which in Winter months, unable to earn a living because of a sea too dangerous, headed South looking for sustenance in calm waters, notably on the Tejo River. For decades these fishermen have divided their lifes between the Summer period, spent in Vieira de Leiria, and the Winter, spent in the Tejo River. Over the course of time they left their roots and never return back. These migrations, that have taken place in the first half of the twentieth century, or perhaps even before that, brought with them their own identity as it is reflected on the constructions which have risen in the various communities where they have settle themselves.

The establishment of the existing housing complex on the Saúde Beach dates back to 1952. Between 1947 and 1951, due to the advancement of the sea, some 500 meters disappeared from the coast line in the area between Cova do Vapor and Costa de Caparica. Because of this advance, the buildings situated therein (and possibly some in Algés and in Dafundo) were then carried to the place where they are now, pulled by oxen and with the help of rolls of wood, or then by sea through barges.

The precarious houses was foreseen to be torn down by the time of the sea front requalification of Costa de Caparica (2001–2011) but the discovery of this sudden and unexpected unusual heritage, allowed for those 46 dwellings to be preserved, which today are mainly Summer houses.

José De Almeida
May 26, 2016 / Almada, Portugal