When Portuguese sailors first arrived at the uninhabited Cape Verde islands, they decided to build a permanent settlement on Santiago. They called it Ribeira Grande, and it became an important stopping point for ships crossing the Atlantic — a place to take on fresh water, food and supplies after a long ocean voyage.
Over hundreds of years the town grew. Builders put up a church, a fort, and a royal pillory (a tall stone column that was a symbol of law and order). The streets were laid with cobblestones, and colourful houses climbed up the hillside. Today you can still walk those same cobbled streets and touch the very same old stones.
The name changed to Cidade Velha — Old City — when a newer, bigger city called Praia grew up nearby and became the capital of Cape Verde. But the old town was never knocked down. Instead, people kept living there and looking after the historic buildings.
Visiting Cidade Velha today feels a bit like stepping into a very old photograph. The ruins of the old fort still stand on the hill above the sea. The church is one of the oldest in sub-Saharan Africa still standing. Children play football on the same square where merchants once traded hundreds of years ago.