 The village "Praia de Santa Maria" was first mentioned around 1615 and grew near the natural harbour.The ports of Santiago were important ports of call for ships sailing between Portugal and the Portuguese colonies in Africa and South America.Between the end of the 16th century and the end of the 18th century, both Ribeira Grande and Praia suffered many pirate attacks, including those by Francis Drake (1585) and Jacques Cassard (1712).