A talk by Peter Kingdon Booker

Peter Kingdon Booker

In May last year Peter discussed the built environment of Tavira, and this lecture will concentrate on the people of the town.  How highly did they rate in the social strata of Portugal?  Tavira has been a town of great significance in the history of Portugal, but is much less so nowadays;  when did its importance wane, and why?  Who built the twenty-one churches in the town? How did the people of Tavira make their living, and what problems did they encounter through the years?  How important have the fisheries on this coast been to the town, and how has the town coped with the moving sandbanks?  There have of course been invasions and wars and civil disturbances which inevitably affected the town, but what was the role of the people of Tavira in these upheavals?  Lastly, what role does the town play in the present day Algarve?