Ponta de Vera Cruz: Beautiful Remains of the Salt Harbour

Ponta de Vera Cruz in Santa Maria

Ponta de Vera Cruz lies at the eastern edge of Santa Maria, where the town meets the long sweep of white sand of Sal’s southern coast. It takes its name from the small chapel of Vera Cruz that once stood nearby, a landmark for fishermen and traders during the island’s earlier days.

Colourful fishing boats still float on the waves near the shore or are pulled out for repairs and storage. Tourists enjoy the view, the warm sun and the beautiful, golden beach. An old, modest lighthouse is now housing a restaurant. It’s essential to note that the area once played a significant role in shaping Cape Verdean economic history – tons of salt were exported from here to distant ports. Today, traditional Cape Verdean life continues alongside the growing development of tourism.

The name Vera Cruz — “True Cross” — appears throughout the Portuguese colonial world. Brazil received this name first. Portuguese explorers marked their discoveries with religious symbols, claiming territories for the crown and church. At Ponta de Vera Cruz, this colonial naming covers a practical history. This was where commerce met the sea. Salt extraction, the island’s primary purpose, found its outlet here.

 Ponta de Vera Cruz: The Salt Empire’s Gateway

Manuel António Martins founded Santa Maria in 1830 as an industrial port, not a beach resort or fishing village. The salt ponds north of town, now protected landscapes covering 69 hectares, needed an export point. Ponta de Vera Cruz provided a natural harbour, relatively sheltered from Atlantic storms.

By the mid-19th century, the site had undergone significant transformations in its infrastructure. A pier extended from Ponta de Vera Cruz into deeper water. A narrow-gauge railway ran from the salt ponds to the dock. This was one of Cape Verde’s first industrial rail systems. Wagons loaded with salt travelled directly to waiting ships.
The operation moved 30,000 tons of salt annually at its peak. Most went to Brazil to preserve meat and fish.

White pyramids of salt waiting for shipment defined Santa Maria’s image. The weighing house at the harbour became the town’s commercial centre. Each load was measured and recorded there. That building still stands, its pastel walls now containing souvenir shops instead of scales and ledgers. Its solid construction shows its former importance.

The Brazilian Connection and Collapse

The relationship between Ponta de Vera Cruz and Brazil went beyond commerce. Brazil’s growing population needed salt. Cape Verde’s Atlantic position made it an ideal supplier. Ships at Ponta de Vera Cruz brought Brazilian culture, music, and people, along with empty holds. This exchange gave rise to the Cape Verdean-Brazilian cultural fusion that exists today. You see it in the popularity of Brazilian telenovelas and the caipirinhas served in Santa Maria’s beach bars.

In 1887, Brazil imposed high taxes on imported salt to protect its own salt industry. The market that sustained Santa Maria disappeared overnight. Ships stopped calling at Ponta de Vera Cruz. The railway fell silent. The town entered what locals refer to as “the time of suffering.” Many questioned whether Santa Maria would survive.
The pier became a monument to lost prosperity. Rails rusted in the salt air. Warehouses emptied. Families who depended on the salt trade faced poverty. Many emigrated, setting a pattern that would eventually result in more Cape Verdeans living abroad than on the islands.

Revival and Reinvention of Ponta de Vera Cruz

Portuguese investment in 1920 revived Santa Maria and restarted the salt industry. Ponta de Vera Cruz became busy again, although it never matched its splendid 19th-century peak. The infrastructure was modernised, but the challenges remained quite the same: Cape Verde’s remote location, high transportation costs, and competition from other regions limited growth.

The salt trade through Ponta de Vera Cruz continued until 1984, when industrial production ceased on Sal. By then, the headland had begun transforming. A lighthouse was built on the promontory. Ponta de Vera Cruz shifted from a commercial port to a navigational landmark and destination.

Fishermen’s Theatre

Every morning, fishing boats return to the harbour near Ponta de Vera Cruz. The fishermen’s market follows, a scene that has continued for generations. Boats painted blue, green, and red cluster around the pier. Many bear names of saints or loved ones.

Fishermen haul their catch onto the stones: yellowfin tuna with silver sides, wahoo with striped patterns, grouper, snapper, sometimes shark. Rapid Creole fills the air as fishermen negotiate with buyers, restaurant owners, and locals seeking fresh fish.

Visitors see authentic Cape Verdean life here. Fishermen gut and clean fish with practised strokes, tossing scraps to seabirds overhead. Children dart between adults, some helping fathers, others playing.

This traditional activity reflects modern realities. Many fishermen use GPS systems along with traditional knowledge. The best catches are served to tourists at resort hotels that evening. Some fishermen offer sport fishing trips, supplementing their traditional income with tourism. The harbour at Ponta de Vera Cruz is where old and new economies meet.

The Lighthouse Restaurant: Dining at History’s Edge

The lighthouse restaurant occupies the headland, built into and around the lighthouse structure. Diners watch sunset over the Atlantic while eating fresh seafood. The restaurant sits where salt merchants once calculated profits, where Portuguese officials supervised exports, where Santa Maria families built their livelihoods.
The menu features Cape Verdean maritime heritage. The day’s catch, purchased that morning from fishermen below, is prepared with influences from Portugal, Africa, and Brazil. Cachupa, the national dish of corn, beans, and fish or meat, shares space with grilled lobster and seafood risottos. The bar serves ponche, the sweetened grogue variant, alongside Portuguese wines and Brazilian caipirinhas.

Ponta de Vera Cruz: Crossroads of Culture

Ponta de Vera Cruz attracts Santa Maria’s diverse communities. Local families come for the sunset, with children playing on the rocks while their parents talk. Young Cape Verdeans working in tourism gather after shifts, conversations mixing Creole, Portuguese, and English. Expatriates — Italian, Portuguese, French, British — who live in Santa Maria meet at the restaurant’s bar.

Tourists participate in this cultural exchange rather than remaining outsiders. Everyone comes for the same things — the view, the breeze, the sense of being somewhere significant.

Street vendors set up near the lighthouse in the evening, selling jewellery, cashews, and wooden sculptures. These vendors are more relaxed than the aggressive touts on Santa Maria’s main beach. They add to the sense of a living, working space rather than just a tourist attraction.

At the Crossroads of Music

Music is an integral part of Cape Verdean culture. The restaurant hosts live performances regularly. Morna, the melancholic ballads Cesária Évora made famous, drift across the water. Funaná, with African-influenced accordion rhythms, gets people dancing. Coladeira, lighter and more playful, pairs well with sunset cocktails.

Informal jam sessions happen spontaneously, especially on weekends. A guitarist starts playing on the rocks below the lighthouse. Others join — a cavaquinho player, someone with percussion, voices harmonising in Creole. These impromptu concerts demonstrate morabeza — Cape Verde’s warmth and shared humanity.

Brazilian influence remained relatively strong. Samba rhythms often mix with Cape Verdean beats. Portuguese fado also appears occasionally. This musical fusion exists uniquely here, at this Atlantic crossroads.

Environmental Challenges and Preservation

Development around Ponta de Vera Cruz has costs. Increased tourist traffic, the number of new facilities, and pressure on marine resources are just a few of the main challenges for the area. Waters once full of fish are showing signs of overexploitation. The rocks, where seabirds nested, now host tourists taking selfies. Local environmental groups raise concerns about the balance between accessibility and preservation, as well as the limits of Sal’s development.

Climate change also adds complexity. Rising sea levels threaten to alter the coastline. Increasing storms have already destroyed the historic Santa Maria’s pier and can also damage other iconic buildings from Sal’s old times, such as the nearby lighthouse. Ocean acidification and warming have a significant impact on the marine ecosystem, and they’re slowly changing the fishing industry. Sadly, Cape Verde, like other small island states, often lacks the resources for adequate changes and comprehensive adaptation strategies.

Schedule of Ponta de Verda Cruz

Life at Ponta de Vera Cruz follows regular patterns. Dawn brings fishermen, boats appearing from the darkness. Mid-morning bustles with the fish market. Noon brings a lull as heat drives people to shade. Late afternoon starts tourist hour. Visitors walk the pier, photographing boats and the lighthouse. Some negotiate with craft vendors; others sit on rocks watching the Atlantic. Beach bars near the headland fill with the sound of glasses and laughter.

Sunset is peak time. Everyone gathers at Ponta de Vera Cruz—tourists and locals, young and old. The lighthouse restaurant reaches maximum activity. Informal gatherings form along the waterfront. As darkness falls, the lighthouse begins its nightly watch.

Night brings a different character. Tourist crowds thin, leaving mainly locals, some expats, and more adventurous visitors. Music drifts from the restaurant and bars. Couples walk the waterfront. Night fishermen prepare boats for pre-dawn departures. The lighthouse beam continues rotating, showing that Ponta de Vera Cruz never sleeps.

Heritage Tourism and Other Future Visions

Development pressures intensify as Santa Maria grows into Sal’s primary tourist destination. Marina expansion, waterfront promenades, and new resort plans all have the potential to impact the headland. Awareness grows about preserving what makes Ponta de Vera Cruz special.

Heritage tourism, which highlights the history of the islands, such as the salt trade, should become a prominent attraction. Ideas include recreating the historic railway, establishing a salt museum in the old weighing house, and developing interpretive trails about Santa Maria’s industrial past.

The support of the traditional fishing industry ensures that the morning fish markets remain economically viable rather than a tourist attraction.

Many of the younger Cape Verdeans view Ponta de Vera Cruz as a good symbol of sustainable development. They seek development that respects history, supports local culture, and protects the environment, while also providing economic opportunities. Their vision encompasses renewable energy, sustainable fishing, and tourism that benefits the broader community, rather than just international hotel chains.

Visiting Ponta de Vera Cruz Today

Standing at Ponta de Vera Cruz today, watching Atlantic swells roll toward shore, you can see layers of history on this headland. The pier that once loaded Brazilian cargo ships now serves tourists and fishermen equally. The lighthouse that guided steamships now illuminates restaurant diners.

Ponta de Vera Cruz remains relevant across different eras. From a salt port to a fishing harbour and then to a tourist destination, the headland has continuously adapted while maintaining its continuity. The morning fishermen descend from those who built Santa Maria around the salt trade. The music across the water carries influences from every Atlantic shore.

Places like Ponta de Vera Cruz become increasingly valuable in a changing world. They offer living history, not frozen heritage. They show that locations gain meaning through use, that significance comes from daily human activity, and that essential crossroads are often modest ones.

For Santa Maria visitors, Ponta de Vera Cruz provides more than views or seafood. It showcases Cape Verde’s complex identity — a blend of African and European, traditional and modern, local and global influences. It demonstrates how small places contain vast histories and how marginal locations help us understand larger stories.

The lighthouse beam sweeps the Atlantic, illuminating fishing boats and cruise ships. Ponta de Vera Cruz continues its watch. It remains what it always was: where land meets sea, where cultures converge, where history and future intersect. In this headland with its lighthouse restaurant and daily fish market, Cape Verde’s entire story — struggles and triumphs, losses and adaptations — finds expression.

The actual cross marking this place isn’t the religious symbol of its name but the intersection it represents — of economies and cultures, traditions and innovations, local life and global forces. Ponta de Vera Cruz showcases the endurance of place, the persistence of community, and the human capacity to adapt and thrive at the edge of the sea.

Bibliography and Sources

• Ponta de Vera Cruz, Santa Maria, Cape Verde and Santa Maria salt ponds, Wikipedia;

• Pontão: The Unique, Iconic Pier of Santa Maria, Sal – Cape Verde;
• Diaries of Cape Verde – Sal, PDF preview via PagePlace.