Cedros is a freguesia ("civil parish") in the northern part of the municipality of Horta on the island of Faial in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. The population in 2011 was 907, in an area of . The northernmost parish on the island, it is located northwest of Horta and is linked via the Estrada Regional E.R. 1-1ª roadway to the rest of the island. The tree-covered hills and pasture-lands cover the interior, and hedged farmlands extend to the Atlantic coastline cliffs, a natural plateau above the sea, that was settled by early Flemish and Spanish colonists in the late part of the 15th century. Primarily an agricultural community, the population is comparable in size to other parishes on the island, though this has decreased by half since the 1950s (when there were approximately 2000 inhabitants). Today, it remains an agricultural centre of the island of Faial, anchored by the Cooperativa Agrícola dos Lactícinios do Faial, one of the primary rural industries on the island, responsible for sales of milk, cheese and butter.
History
The history of the settlement of Cedros was tied to the failure of the Flemish nobleman Josse van Huerter's first expedition in 1466 to the island. Abandoned by Huerter, some members of his failed expedition were joined by settlers from Terceira and Spain whom explored and settled along the northern coast of Faial.
The origin of the name Cedros comes from the local cedars (the Cedros-das-Ilhas or Cedros-do-Mato) found in the pasture-lands and forests of the area (). In addition to the cedars, along the numerous river-valleys (especially Ribeira Funda, Ribeira Pinheiro and Ribeira Sousa) they encountered species of Pine, Juniper, flowering plants (such as the family Adoxaceae), laurel (), Buckthorn (), and Ginger Lily (), as well as other broad-leaf plants. Close access to potable water allowed the settlers to develop small tracts of land, build homes of ubiquitous volcanic rock and cultivate a subsistence lifestyle: a few animals (cows, lambs or goats) and a small vegetable garden. The introduction of wheat allowed the development of a small local export industry.
Between 1466 and 1467, Josse van Huerter returned to the island, through the patronage from the Duke of Burgundy. After a failed settlement on the Lomba dos Frades, he established the nucleus of what would become Horta and beginning the first Captaincy of the island. Some of the more adventurous settlers, primarily from the island of Terceira, followed the trails north to the area now known as Santa Bárbara (Praça). These new settlers were more affluent then the original settlers (some even noblemen), who constructed larger, more ornate homes: such as the Castelo da Rocha Negra (or Casa dos Lacerdas dos Cedros), a three-floor house with molded cornices, verandas, and corbels in black volcanic rock.
Father Gaspar Frutuoso, the celebrated Portuguese historian, priest and humanist, best known for his six-part tome Saudades da Terra that documented the genealogy and history of the Azores archipelago, recounted the conflicts, histories and personalities of the region. While, the development of the stain/woad industry and conflict between impresarios Van Huerter and Wilhelm van der Hagen were important events on the island, it was the Fleming Hern Jannequim that created controversies in Cedros. Also known as Arnequim, he caused his own problems by confronting and expelling the Magistrate-of-Justice and then threatening the Captain-General with death, when they prepared to capture him. The conflict was eventually resolved by the King who was bemused by his audacity. Regardless, Flemish influence and importance had slowly begun to decline on the island, and Spanish settlers began to venture to this region.
