Mortágua (European Portuguese:[muɾˈtaɣwɐ]or[mɔɾˈtaɣwɐ]ⓘ) is a municipality in the district of Viseu, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 9,607,[1] in an area of 251.18 km2.[2]
The present mayor is Ricardo Sérgio Pardal, elected in 2021 by the Socialist Party.
History
Legend suggests that that village was formed on a lake; settlers recalled that Água Morta (dead water) existed here, but no physiological evidence remains of the body of water.[3] Over time, the name stayed and evolved, becoming the variant today of the local municipality.
About 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from the main village is a hill, covered in vegetation, but whose lateral flank was occupied by a Moorish settlement known as Crasto.[3] Over a cliff archeologists discovered several homes including a building that was defined as a kitchen, on its edge.[3]
By 1895, several chapels were situated on this hilltop, which had become known as Cabeça da Senhora do Mundo (owing to the existence of an image to that invocation).[3]
Geography
Administratively, the municipality is divided into 7 civil parishes (freguesias):[4]
