The protagonism of the lighthouses of the islands of the province of Pontevedra lies in the extensive and trimmed of its coastline so its function is to signal the entry and navigation of the corresponding estuaries.
The situation in the interior of the estuary of the island of Arousa serves so that the ships can enter and exit with security in the ports of the estuary.
The engineer Celedonio Uribe realizes the project emplacing the building in Punta Cabalo, which would guarantee that the light was visible from the greater number of ports and, especially, from the entrance of the estuary.
It is the lighthouse of smaller dimensions of all the Galician lighthouses except the one of San Anton and the Guide.
It comes into operation in 1853 with a range of 6 miles depending on the atmospheric conditions and the height of the observer.
In 1924 the lighting was modified, changing the range to 13.5 miles.
Its automation was coupled with its deterioration, now repaired and reconditioned for the service of a light, included in the beacon service of the Port Authority of Vilagarcía, with a range of 10 miles.
Curiosities, myths and legends
In 1879 the factory of D. Juan Goday Gual, considered the founder "effective" of the modern canning industry is built in the island by French technicians.
It was visited in 1881 by the monarch Alfonso XII and awarded the gold medal at the Universal Fisheries Exhibition in London in 1883, another in Antwerp in 1885, the International Exhibition of Barcelona in 1888, Paris in 1889 and in Chicago in 1892.
