Mercado de Escravos - Núcleo Museológico Rota da Escravatura

Nice little museum. Only 3 euros and definitely worth it if you are into history and in the area. There are toilets part way round as well.

It's a unique museum; it addresses Portugal's colonizing perspective. I loved learning a bit about the history, but I felt it didn't delve deeply enough into the suffering of the enslaved.

The only Lagos Slavery waste site Discovery in 2009-2025 President of Lagos at the time Júlio José Monteiro Barroso. The slave cemetery was discovered in the Vale da Gafaria, next to the city walls of Lagos. Active between the 15th and 16th centuries, this site functioned as both an urban dumping ground and a burial place for African slaves who arrived in the city. As they were not baptized, these individuals could not be buried in the traditional cemeteries of the time. Context and Archaeological Findings Excavations carried out at the site revealed the remains of more than 158 people, many of them buried in mass graves. Some skeletons were found with their hands tied behind their backs, revealing the inhumane conditions they endured. The site was partially destroyed during the construction of parking and mini-golf course, but the human remains were recovered for scientific study. Memory and Preservation The discovery is now recognized as the oldest known slave cemetery in Europe, representing a silent yet powerful testimony to slavery on Portuguese soil. Its historical significance led to the creation of the Slave Route Museum (Núcleo Museológico da Rota do Escravo), located in the former Slave Market building in Lagos, with the purpose of preserving and sharing the memory of this past.

Historic place that's oozing with history, but the displays are disappointing with dark cabinets and captions hard to read. Interesting historically but could be so much better.

Careful — although the posted hours say they’re open until 1pm, if you arrive around 12:15pm you won’t be allowed in because it’s considered “too late.” I explained that I had driven an hour to get there and asked politely for a quick viewing, but they still refused. Very disappointing and not reflective of good customer service.

Overall a quick stop - you can do everything in 30 minutes. The only thing that made this place 5/5 was a worker Miguel. He had interesting stories and actually was interested in the topic himself, which made the visit much more memorable.

Words fail me qhen I think of what happened on these grounds. So very glad to have been able to see this in person.

This museum has two locations, one on ground level where you buy the tickets and one just around the corner on the first floor (or second for US). The staff is very helpfull and friendly. On the first floor you also receive a tablet with additional information of the exibition.