thumb|upright=1.3|Portuguese pavement: image of the [[Seal (emblem)|seal of the University of Coimbra, in Portugal, featuring Wisdom]]

Portuguese pavement, known in Portuguese as or simply (or in Brazil), is a traditional-style pavement used for many pedestrian areas in Portugal and Portuguese Empire colonies. It consists of small pieces of stone arranged in a pattern or image, like a mosaic. It can also be found in Olivença (a disputed territory administered by Spain) and throughout former Portuguese colonies, especially in Brazil. Portuguese workers are also hired for their skill in creating these pavements in places such as Gibraltar. Being usually used in sidewalks, it is in town squares and atriums that this art finds its deepest expression.

History

[[File:MiguelRT1 (2).jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Some styles of Portuguese pavement are:

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Paving as a craft is believed to have originated in Mesopotamia, where rocky materials were used on the inside and outside of constructions, being later brought to ancient Greece and ancient Rome.

The Romans used to pave the vias connecting the empire using materials to be found in the surroundings. Some of the Roman techniques introduced then are still applied to the calçada, most noticeably the use of a foundation and surfacing.

In its current form, Portuguese pavement was first used in Lisbon from 1840 to 1846, during repairs to São Jorge Castle directed by general and engineer Eusebio Pinheiro Furtado. These included the replacement of the castle's courtyards with a zigzag pattern of alternating black and white stones deemed atypical for the time.

In 1848, Pinheiro was put in charge of the renewal of Rossio square, which he paved with a pattern of waves in homage to the sea crossed by Portuguese sailors. From then onward, the calçada began to spread throughout the streets of Lisbon and Portugal as a whole. Much of the motifs and patterns would revolve around the sea and maritime exploration, and the pavement quickly became a symbol of Portuguese culture and identity, also spreading overseas to Portugal's colonies.

It was not until 1901 when Portuguese pavement was first used in Brazil, in the city of Manaus.

Belo Horizonte followed suit, and then Rio de Janeiro. In Rio, mayor Francisco Pereira Passos was a strong promoter of implementing the calçada as part of the city's urban renewal plan, which was subsequently adopted in the reworking of Avenida Rio Branco, importing calceteiros, designs and even stones from Portugal. The remaining building materials were destined for the newly inaugurated Avenida Atlântica, in its iconic wavy pattern. Portuguese pavement then began to proliferate through Rio. The loosening of stones is also a relevant issue, making sidewalks covered by this type of pavement need constant maintenance and repair in order to avoid pedestrians from tripping. These qualities have often made transport for the elderly, wheelchair users, pregnant women and babies in strollers particularly difficult. Portuguese pavement is also especially harsh on some types of footwear.

In Portugal, Porto completely replaced the traditional pavement of its city centre for granite blocks in 2005.

Technique

Craftsmen lay a bedding of gravel upon a well-compacted trench of argillaceous materials, which accommodates the tessera stones, acting as a cement.

<gallery widths="175px" class="center">

File:Paving 1, preparation, by Zureks.jpg|1. Preparation of stones

File:Paving 3, pattern, by Zureks.jpg|2. Manual placement

File:Paving 4, finishing, by Zureks.jpg|3. Cement mix spread on the pavement

File:Paving 5, final effect, by Zureks.jpg |4. Final product

</gallery>

Calçada as a form of art

<gallery mode="packed" heights="110">

Image:estrela ccmsilva.jpg|Stars in Lisbon

Image:Praça do Teatro Amazonas.jpg|Largo de São Sebastião, the first Portuguese pavement in Brazil, in Manaus.

Image:Calçadão de Copacabana.JPG|Portuguese pavement in Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro

Image:الرصيف الفسيفسائي "البرتغالي" على شاطئ إيبانيما.jpg| Pavement in Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro

Image:Rua Infante de Sagres, Lagos (25931688294).jpg|Lagos in Algarve

Image:Passeio da Praça dos Restauradores.jpg|Restauradores Square, Lisbon

Image:Calcadasiglaspoveiras.JPG|Póvoa de Varzim's runes in Praça do Almada

Image:Senate Square Tiles in Macau.jpg|The Senado Square's distinctive tiled pattern in Macau

Image:Praia-Igreja Nossa Senhora da Graça (1).jpg|Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Graça, Praia, Cape Verde

image:Rosa dos ventos 1.JPG|Compass rose depicted in São Jorge, Azores

Image:Parque da nações bandeiras.jpg|Portuguese pavement near Pavilhão Atlântico at Parque das Nações, Lisbon, Portugal

Image:Rua Alameda Manuel Van-Dunen Luanda_03.JPG|Portuguese pavement in Alameda Manuel Van Dunen, Luanda, Angola

Image:Praca Generoso Marques 1 Curitiba Brasil.jpg|Portuguese pavement in Generoso Marques Square, Curitiba, Brazil

Image:Palácio de são paulo.jpg|Island of Mozambique

Image:Portugueseparkhaywardcalifornia.jpg|Portuguese Centennial Park, Hayward, United States

Image:Olivença 1.jpg|Plaza de España, Olivença

Image:Calçada da Praça do Rossio.jpg|Pavement on the Rossio square, Lisbon

Image:Ocean Village mosaic.jpg|Pavement in Ocean Village, Gibraltar

Image:Bom Jesus in 2017 (116).jpg|Bom Jesus, Braga, Portugal

Image:University of Coimbra. Coimbra, Portugal (49081300657).jpg|University of Coimbra

Image:Transistor on portuguese pavement.jpg|A transistor symbol at the University of Aveiro

Image:My initial SSSSSSSSSSSS (49062970991).jpg|A sidewalk in Ponta Delgada, Azores Portugal

Image:Sidewalk, R. Estudos - University of Coimbra - Coimbra, Portugal - DSC09050.jpg|Portuguese pavement incorporating pavement lights

</gallery>

See also

  • Sett (paving)
  • Mosaic
  • Terrazzo
  • Engineered stone

References

  • Paving in Portuguese, urbanphoto.net
  • Portuguese pavement and its histories (Portuguese language)
  • The Portuguese Pavements Handbook <small>(10 MB)</small>, Direccção Nacional de Energia e Geologia (Portuguese/English)