History
The islands were “discovered” by Portuguese navigators around 1470–1471. They were uninhabited, which facilitated their occupation by the Portuguese Crown. They were initially settled by degredados (convicts sent to colonize the islands) and, later, by farmers and merchants.
The islands’ colonial history is deeply intertwined with the plantation system, which developed in two major phases.
Phase 1: Sugar (16th–17th centuries)
São Tomé became one of the world’s largest sugar producers in the 16th century. Production relied on a large number of enslaved people brought from the African coast (primarily from the Gulf of Guinea). The harsh living conditions led to slave revolts, including a famous rebellion in 1595 led by Amador—who remains a major historical figure in the country to this day.
After the decline of the sugar industry, the islands experienced centuries of relative stagnation:
A Period of Abandonment and the “Mysterious Islands”
Many roças were abandoned. The dense forest reclaimed the land. The archipelago gained a reputation among sailors as a place of tropical diseases, shipwrecks, pirates, and dangerous routes due to the unpredictable climate and the lack of detailed maps.
Elements of Mystery
Legends of spirits, sorcerers (“ngangas”), and secretive religious rituals associated with the African cultures brought to the islands. “Thunder children” and mythical figures from the forro tradition. Tales of ghost ships, common during the era of the Atlantic slave trade. Remnants of abandoned roças, tunnels, rusted machinery, and planters’ mansions, which have fostered a “decadent and enigmatic” imagination.
The Second Era of Plantations: Cocoa and Coffee (19th–20th Centuries)
Starting in the mid-19th century, São Tomé and Príncipe became one of the world’s largest cocoa producers. Large roças emerged—gigantic agro-industrial complexes. The labor system was officially “contractual,” but in practice, it retained the characteristics of forced labor, especially among workers from Angola, Cape Verde, and Mozambique. International condemnations in the early 20th century exposed brutal conditions, reinforcing the grim perception of the archipelago.
Anti-colonial pressures grew throughout the 20th century, particularly after the Batepá Uprising (1953), a massacre of great symbolic significance for the country. The islands gained independence on July 12, 1975.
The “mystery” of São Tomé and Príncipe stems from a combination of factors:
Vast, abandoned roças, enveloped by the jungle
Stories of enslaved people, secret rituals, and rebellions
Local legends and beliefs (forest spirits, apparitions, witchcraft)
Shipwrecks, pirates, and the violence of the Atlantic slave trade
Colonial decay still visible today
The enigmatic architecture of the roças, featuring tunnels, mansions, and forgotten
cemeteries
