Alijó

Template:Geobox Alijó (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐliˈʒɔ]) is a municipality in the Norte Region of Portugal, located in the district of Vila Real. The municipality, comprising 19 parishes, has a total area of 267.6 km² and a population of 13,942 inhabitants.

History

The Anta da Fonte Coberta, a funerary dolmen in the parish of Vila Chã

There are several megalithic structures, dolmens and castros in Alijó evidencing the pre-historic occupation of the region by semi-nomadic tribes, dating back to the 10th century BC.

The remains of Roman-era settlements in the region are primarily limited to the fountains, roads and bridges that cross Alijó.

During the 6th century some of the settlements were ecclesiastical parishes during the Suebi occupation: many of the local toponymies date to this era, including Sanfins (de São Félix), Santa Eugénia, São João Baptista (de Castedo), São Domingos (at that time a organ of Favaios), Santa Águeda (de Carlão) or São Tiago (de Vila Chã).

But, its southern border along the Douro made the region susceptible to Spanish and Moorish conflict. But, with the Christian Reconquista, after the reigns of Alfonso I and Alfonso II the region of the Trás-os-Montes and Entre-Douro-e-Minho regions became uninhabited (by both Christians and Moors). The territory began to be slowly re-populated, with the new settlements founded around existing Roman castros, rustic villages and abandoned hereditary lands.

At the time of the Inquirições (Inventory/Inquiries) in 1220, there were five ecclesiastical parishes in the territory of Alijó: Alijó, Favaios, Sanfins do Douro, São Mamede de Riba-Tua and Vilar de Maçada.

The following year (April 1226) he issued a royal charter (foral), and renewed in successive years (by Afonso, on 15 November 1269, and by Manuel Ion 10 July 1514). The occupation of the land began after the 12th-13th century, with the settlement by nobles and high nobility, including the Távora family (the Marquess of Távora would become the first donatorio of Alijó). The Távoras remained the governing elite of the region for most of the subsequent periods (even during the Iberian Union), until the reign of Joseph I. During the monarch's era the entire family was executed and/or imprisoned for the attempted regicide of King Joseph, it what would later be called the Távora affair. At the time the municipality included the parishes of Alijó, Granja, Presandães, Chã, Valdemir, Santa Eugénia, Casas da Serra, Carlão, Franzilhal, Safres, Castedo and Cotas. These parishes pre-date the Portuguese kingdom, while Pinhão (a locality of Gouvães in the municipality of Sabrosa), Casal de Loivos, Vale de Mendiz and Vilarinho de Cotas (which were villages in the parish of Celeirós, also in Gouviães). Pópulo, Pegarinhos and Santa Eugénia which were parishes of the municipality of Murça were annexed to Alijó during the administrative reforms of 1853.

The creation of the modern municipality of Alijó occurred in January 1854.

Geography

As much as the climate and geography has helped, the region has been endowed with many natural and archaeological traits. The municipality is delimited by the Douro, Tua, Tinhela and Rivers, and by the mountainous Transmontanan region. Characteristically rural, Alijó is marked by two distinct regions: the north is primarily forested, while the south, is composed of rocky escarpments and river-valleys typical of the other municipalities in the Douro region.

Population of Alijó (1801 - 2006) Year Pop. ±% 1801 2,423 —     1849 5,454 +125.1% 1900 19,919 +265.2% 1930 20,452 +2.7% 1960 23,511 +15.0% 1981 18,846 −19.8% 1991 16,324 −13.4% 1993 16,300 −0.1% 1995 16,000 −1.8% 1996 15,810 −1.2% 1997 15,720 −0.6% 1998 15,640 −0.5% 1999 15,550 −0.6% 2000 15,510 −0.3% 2001 15,430 −0.5% 2002 14,334 −7.1% 2003 14,021 −2.2% 2004 14,056 +0.2% 2005 14,005 −0.4% 2006 13,942 −0.4%

The creation of the municipality (in January 1854), included the following 19 civil parishes:

Alijó Amieiro Carlão Casal de Loivos Castedo Cotas Favaios Pegarinhos Pinhão Pópulo

Ribalonga São Mamede de Ribatua Sanfins do Douro Santa Eugénia Vale de Mendiz Vila Chã Vila Verde Vilar de Maçada Vilarinho de Cotas

Economy

The rural municipality falls within the Douro DOC, is essentially agricultural in economic activity with some small commerce. The viticulture, fine wine producers, over the centuries have practiced a technique of sculpting the landscape around the Douro River and other tributaries, acting as arterial veins to transport wine down to the urban centres in Vila Nova da Guia and Porto. In addition, the land also supports herding in pastures, and is divided into two distinct areas: a northern zone, rich in olive oil, cereals, legumes, potatoe and almonds; and a southern area that focuses on wine production.

References

Notes

Sources

• Plácido, Manuel Alves (1981), "Seis Povoamentos do Concelho de Alijó (1115- 1269)", Estudos Transmontanos (in Portuguese) (2 ed.), Vila Real, Portugal: Biblioteca Pública e Arquivo Distrital de Vila Real
• Câmara Municipal de Alijó, ed. (2011), Arqueologia (PDF) (in Portuguese), Alijó, Portugal: Município de Alijó, retrieved 06 June 2011 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

See also

• Douro DOC
• Douro, Subregion