Mina de São Domingos  was my home for four nights and I was surprised at how much I loved this small village in the middle of Southern Portugal.  It was very attractive with its cobblestone streets laid out in a gradual curve on both sides of a road that goes through the middle of the village.  I could understand why our friends, Jean and Malc, called it home for so many years.

This site is one of the volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposits in the Iberian Pyrite Belt, that extends from the southern Portugal into Spain. The Romans mined in the São Domingos area for gold and silver for about 400 years. Mining stopped here when the Romans left.  Mining did not begin again until the 1800s and that is when this town really began to begin (when the demand for copper grew during the Industrial Revolution).

It is truly a town built for mining.  In its heyday, 5,000 people lived and worked here.  The mine closed leaving unemployment and water contamination and yet, many of people stayed.  A warm and embracing group live there, amongst ruins and natural beauty. 

My time with Jean, her family and her friends, was diverse and unforgettable.  The laughs, tears, great conversations and amazing camaraderie will forever mark my birthday as one of my most unique experiences.