In 1501, the Age of Sail, an expedition commanded by Gaspar de Lemos arrived in the coast of the current state of Rio Grande do Norte and erected there short stone monument in what is now the Municipality of Touros, laying claim to the land in the name of the king of Portugal. Throughout time, the monument has come to our current days as one of the oldest vestiges of the European presence in the Americas.

The Landmarf of Touros (Marco de Touros) as it is know today, is a square pillar with approximately 120 cm, carved in Lioz (Portuguese: pedra lioz), also known as Royal Stone (pedra real), a type of limestone, originating in Portugal, from the Lisbon region. On one of its faces it is relief carved the Cross of the Order of Christ and the arms of the Portuguese Kingdom: A shield ornated with five groups of silver circles (called ‘bezants’) in the shape of a cross. 

As the centuries passed by such symbols turned the landmark into an object of cult and devotion to the local population, who started calling it Saint Cross and also built a chapel to protect it, even removing chips of its material to produce a “miraculous” tea (see image and the marks on the stone). The fracture on the artifact on its lower part would also be related to worship activities. 

In 1962 the monument was acknowledged as national heritage by IPHAN (the Institute of National Historical and Artistic Heritage) and its transference to the city of Natal begins to be negotiated once it faced great resistance from local community. The relocation only happened in 1976 when the Landmark was installed in the Three Kings Fortress and begins to be valued due to its cultural, historical and archaeological importance. Finally in 2021, it was taken to the Câmara Cascudo Museum.