the king of Portugal. History The exact date when the first inhabitants of Agualva settled in the village is unknown. It is known, however, that the settlement began sometime before the year 1588. On the 29th of February in 1588, the village of Agualva along with its parish was formally established with a documented charter. Agualva parish had previously been part of the parish of Vila Nova. On February 3 of 1594, João Homem Guadalupe established a hermitage, which would eventually become the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, its name honouring the parish's founder as well as Our Lady of Guadalupe. A letter from Pêro Anes do Canto to the King of Portugal, dated the 16th of August 1552, refers to Agualva: "Sire – I have some properties in Terceira, in places known as Aguaalva and Lajes....” It is notable that in this letter the spelling is "Aguaalva," which combines the Portuguese words água (water) and alva (clear). The original document is preserved in the Torre do Tombo, the Portuguese National Archive in Lisbon. The village was fully operational by the end of the 16th century. This is attested by the recording of a baptism that occurred on 18 December 1607. The document shows that the parents of the girl being baptised came from the parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Notes and references Freguesias of Praia da Vitória