São Jorge was settled between the mid and late 15th century, within Portuguese expansion promoted by Infante D. Henrique. The island received colonists from northern Portugal and Flanders, establishing the communities that still define the island's map today.
João Vaz Corte-Real
On 4 May 1483, João Vaz Corte-Real received the captaincy of São Jorge. A native of Terceira and son of the explorer Gaspar Corte-Real, he was a central figure in organising Azorean settlement.
Velas, Calheta and Topo
Settlement concentrated initially in Velas and Calheta. Velas became a town around 1500; Calheta became an independent municipality in 1534. At the eastern end, Topo was founded by Guilherme da Silveira (Willem van der Haegen), a Flemish noble who made his home there and was buried in the chapel of the Tiagos.
Colonial economy
In the early centuries the island exported wheat, wine, woad and orchil to Europe. Farming and cattle sustained the population; the sea complemented with fishing and inter-island trade. Periods of isolation, piracy and Spanish occupation (1580) slowed development, but the island kept a distinct, resilient identity.