Mucuripe, made of stone and with an octagonal shape, was only inaugurated in 1846 in what was then the province of Ceará. It housed a lamp with eight nozzles, whose fixed white light was visible for up to 10 nautical miles.
Twenty years later, the lighthouse was in terrible condition, no longer assisting ships approaching the port. And in 1869, a fire destroyed the tower and lantern. A few months after the incident, the lantern and part of the tower were rebuilt, re-establishing the lighting of the lighthouse, albeit precariously.
The reconstruction design of Mucuripe Lighthouse was by nobleman and Knight of the Imperial Court Zózimo Barroso, graduate in Mathematics and Physical Sciences, who had spent two years studying in London and was at the service of the Government of Ceará. Thanks to his competence and expertise, Zózimo was hired by the Imperial Navy to return to Great Britain and order nine complete lighthouses for Brazil (one being Mucuripe), with towers of cast iron, lanterns and Dioptric (lenticular) systems (concerning the refraction of light).
Rebuilt on the old tower, the new lighthouse was inaugurated on 29 July 1872, having a white light with luminous range of 10 nautical miles. This building withstood quite a long time, lasting 85 years.
The current Mucuripe Lighthouse was inaugurated on 13 December 1957, three kilometres from the former. Its cylindrical tower is reinforced concrete and is 22 metres high. Furthermore, a modern rotary BBT3 3rd order apparatus was installed in the centre of the metal lantern, which transmits two light flashes every 10 seconds.
Recife, 30 August 2004.
(Updated 25 March 2008)
Translated by Peter Leamy, October 2016.
sources consulted
SIQUEIRA, Ricardo. Luzes do novo mundo; história dos faróis brasileiros / fotos Ricardo Siqueira; texto: Ney Dantas. Rio de Janeiro: O Autor, 2002.
how to quote this text
Source: VAINSENCHER, Semira Adler. Farol Mucuripe, CE. Pesquisa Escolar Online, Fundação Joaquim Nabuco, Recife. Disponível em: <http://basilio.fundaj.gov.br/pesquisaescolar_en/index.php>. Acesso em: dia mês ano. Ex: 6 ago. 2009.