Impressions of a Portuguese Man in America
I write these words not merely as an observer of Azorean History, but as an Azorean, born in Madalena do Pico — a land of sea, of lava, of vineyards, and of men and women accustomed to facing adversity with dignity. I carry with me, wherever I may be, the pride of belonging to a people whose greatness never depended on the size of its islands, but on the strength of its character. There are peoples who made History by the force of arms. Others, by the wealth of their empires. The Azoreans made it in a different way: through work, through quiet courage, and through the extraordinary capacity to turn adversity into opportunity.
Lost in the vastness of the Atlantic, the nine islands of the Azores were never the end of the world. They were, from the fifteenth century onward, the beginning of many worlds. From that archipelago, shaped by the fire of volcanoes and by the unpredictability of the ocean, was born a resilient people, accustomed to living between hope and uncertainty — where the word given was worth as much as a contract, and the honor of a family was its most precious patrimony.
The History of the Azores merges with the very History of Portuguese expansion. The islands became a way station of the great voyages of discovery, a strategic point between continents, and a symbol of Portugal's Atlantic vocation.
Yet the greatest wealth that the Azores ever offered the world was never their geographical location. It was the character of their inhabitants.
Over the centuries, thousands of Azoreans set out for Brazil, the United States of America, Canada, Bermuda, Hawaii, Uruguay, and so many other destinations. They did not emigrate in search of privileges, nor to live off the assistance of others. They left because they believed that work dignifies the human being and that the future is built with sacrifice, discipline, and perseverance.
Wherever they arrived, they founded businesses, cultivated the land, opened schools, raised churches, created associations, served in the armed forces, took part in public life, and helped develop entire communities. They became farmers, entrepreneurs, teachers, scientists, local elected officials, military men, and leaders — always with that same discretion which characterizes those who prefer to leave work done rather than to seek recognition.
But perhaps the greatest achievement of the Azorean diaspora has been another: it managed to integrate fully into the societies that welcomed it, without losing its identity. It continued to speak Portuguese at home, preserved the Festas do Divino Espírito Santo (Feasts of the Divine Holy Spirit), kept the filarmónicas (philharmonic bands) alive, and passed on to its children respect for family, for faith, for freedom, and for work. It demonstrated that true integration never requires the abandonment of one's roots.
At a time when so many societies seem to value the ephemeral at the expense of the permanent, the Azoreans continue to remind us of a simple truth: no community remains strong when it forgets its History. Identity does not limit — it strengthens. Tradition does not hinder progress — it gives it stability. Patriotism excludes no one; it merely reminds us where we came from, so that we may better know where we wish to go.
Portugal sometimes has difficulty in recognizing the scale of this heritage.
It looks upon emigration as a demographic phenomenon when it should look upon it as an extraordinary strategic asset. Few countries possess a diaspora as well integrated, as respected, and simultaneously as faithful to its origins, as the Azorean one.
On every continent there is a little of the Azores. In the churches where the Holy Spirit is still celebrated. In the recreational societies. In the philharmonic bands. In the family businesses built up over generations. In the Portuguese surnames that continue to honor the memory of their forebears. And, above all, in the work ethic that has so often made Azoreans respected citizens far beyond the borders of the homeland.
The nine islands were never merely a territory. They are a school of character. They have taught successive generations that liberty demands responsibility, that prosperity is born of effort, and that human dignity does not depend on material wealth, but on the honesty with which each person conducts his own life.
Perhaps that is why, even from afar, no Azorean ever truly leaves his islands behind. Whoever is born in Madalena do Pico, in Ponta Delgada, in Horta, in Angra do Heroísmo, in Santa Cruz das Flores, or in any other part of that archipelago, carries with him the memory of the sea, respect for his ancestors, and a bond with the land which neither time nor distance can easily erase.
In a world marked by speed, by forgetfulness, and by the loss of reference points, perhaps the Azoreans still have one of the most important lessons to offer. True greatness is not measured by the size of a country, nor by the number of its inhabitants. It is measured by the moral quality of the people it shapes and by the mark those people leave upon the societies in which they live.
The Azores are small in geography, but immense in the History of Portugal. And as long as there is a single Azorean who works with honor, who keeps his word, who raises his children in respect for the values he received, and who keeps alive the memory of his land, there will continue to exist a piece of Portugal scattered across the world.
That is, perhaps, the greatest legacy of the Azorean people: to prove that it is possible to leave without abandoning the Pátria, to prosper without forgetting one's origins, and to be a citizen of the world while remaining, forever, a child of the nine islands of the Atlantic.
César DePaço
Businessman and Philanthropist
Consul ad honorem of Portugal from 2014 to 2020
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Summit Nutritionals International Inc.®
Founder and Chairman of the Board of The DePaço Foundation
Unwavering Defender of Law Enforcement and Conservative Principles