Origin
A short history of Barra do Cunhaú
They say, that Barra originally was a fortress build by marines that were stranded, to shelter and protect them while waiting for rescue. This hideaway was attacked two times, the first time in April 1634 and the second time in October the same year. The attacks were carried out fast and violent and succeeded on the night of the 21 of October. There are no words to describe the cruelties that were committed and the prisoners were taken away by a boat that was sunk when leaving Barra.
The ruins of the fortress disappeared totally over the time, left away by the weather and the water of the Atlantic Ocean.
Nowadays there are three villages. The oldest settlement around was “Gramacio”, which now is called Vila Flor. Barra do Cunhaú is part of a larger community, officially called Canguaretama but know by the Indian name of “Penha” by the locals. |
