Debate still exists on whether Topo was the first settlement on the island; the first colony was founded between 1480 and 1490, when a colony of Flemish people, under the direction of Willem van der Haegen, settled on the eastern coast. This adventurous Fleming, who later adopted the name "Guilherme da Silveira", and whose descendants populate the numerous villages of São Jorge, was later buried in the chapel-annex of the "Solar dos Tiagos". Due to its proximity to Terceira, and owing to the difficult overland links to Calheta (over the Serra do Topo), the village was always more closely tied to Angra do Heroísmo: inter-marriage existed between both communities and the residents of Angra saw Topo as an extension of the city of Angra. This proximity is visible in similar architectural styles, which are different then the other communities of São Jorge.