When Afonso de Albuquerque captured Goa in 1510, he understood its immense strategic value as a gateway to the Indian subcontinent and the wider East. His vision was to build not just a city but a formidable network of defences that would secure Portuguese supremacy in the Indian Ocean. By 1530, when Goa became the capital of the Estado da Índia, an evolving system of forts began to take shape — a fusion of European military engineering with local building traditions.
Heritage of Defence explores the story of these forts, each a witness to centuries of maritime conflict, trade, and cultural exchange. With meticulous research and vivid visual documentation, the book examines how these fortifications reflect both the pragmatism of colonial strategy and the artistry of their design. Today, these structures stand as enduring symbols of Goa’s layered history, representing a heritage that is at once defensive and deeply cultural. This book offers a fresh lens on their significance within the South Asian and global historical landscape.
Contents Foreword 1. Presentation 2. The Portuguese occupation of Goa 2.1. Background. Navigation, weaponry, fortification 2.2. Pre-existing defensive systems, conquest, settlement 3. From the capital status to a change in the defensive paradigm (1530-1596) 3.1. The rise of Goa and the process of the Old Conquests 3.1.1. Rachol 3.1.2. Reis Magos 3.1.3. Santo Estêvão 3.2. From the apparent calm to the 1570’s crisis 3.2.1. Goa [Old Goa] 3.2.2. Peripheral Wall 3.2.3. The 1570’s crisis; reactions of the State of India 3.2.4. Nossa Senhora do Cabo 4. From the arrival of the European enemies to the fall of the State of India (1596-1660) 4.1. From land to sea: changes in Goa’s defence strategy 4.1.1. Aguada The Fortress Aguada Fortified City: other defence elements Cartography and iconography 4.1.2. Cansaulim 4.1.3. Mormugao 4.1.4. Chapora 4.2. The confinement of the State of India 4.2.1. Colvale-Tivim Wall 5. Goa’s defensive system as heritage 5.1. Tratadistics and pragmatism: the territorial perspective of defence 5.2. Defensive system as aggregating territorial and identity potential 6. Final notes Inventory of Technical Drawings Sources and Bibliography
Nuno Lopes (b. 1985) is an architect with a Master’s degree in Architecture and a PhD in Heritages of Portuguese Influence, with a specialisation in architecture and urbanism. He is an Invited Professor at the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Coimbra.
Lopes serves as Researcher and Executive Coordinator at the UNESCO Chair on Intercultural Dialogue with Heritage of Portuguese Influence (www.patrimonios.pt), where his work spans heritage, urbanism, sustainable development, strategic planning, and the creative economy. He has contributed as a pedagogical and scientific advisor, a member of academic degree juries, and a peer reviewer of scholarly articles.
Over the years, he has produced, edited, and organised numerous publications, collaborative projects, and scientific meetings in Portugal, Cabo Verde, India, and Mozambique. (Cienciavitae ID: 0C1B-9854-B425).
