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The coast around Vilanculos has a long and intriguing history, with a fair amount of very dark chapters.
Vasco de Gama first came to our shore in 1498, establishing the first Portuguese influence. Later on many many slaves were transported through the port of Inhambane and even today the slave routes can be followed by linking the still existing clusters of Baobab forest, which grow on the sites where the slave traders rested on their way from western Mozambique and even Zimbabwe.
CASA GUCI is only a two hundred meters away from the archaeological site of CHIBUENE, which is also the name of our part of the coast and which indicates one of the earliest settlements found in Mozambique so far. This is what Wikipedia has to say:
Chibuene is a Mozambiquean archaeological site, located five kilometres south of the coastal city of Vilanculos. The site was occupied during two distinct phases. The earlier phase of occupation dates to the late first millennium AD. The second phase dates from around 1450 and is contemporaneous with the Great Zimbabwe civilization in the African interior. During both phases of its development Chibuene was a trading settlement. Trade goods obtained from the site include glass beads, painted blue and white ceramics, and glass bottle fragments. The later phase of settlement has yielded remains of ancient structures as well as evidence of metallurgy. Crucibles have been found that were presumably used to melt gold obtained from trade with the Great Zimbabwe civilization. There is evidence that Chibuene traded extensively with the inland settlement of Manyikeni. Mozambique has jointly inscribed these two properties on their tentative version of the World Heritage List. (Source Wikipedia)
Further information about the region of Inhambane: www.mozambiquehappenings.co.za
