The pillory (pelourinho) stands in the old town square as one of the finest examples of Manueline stone carving in the Minho region. Its distinctive twisted column, executed by the sculptor João Lopes the Elder, was erected in 1515 when King Manuel I formally elevated Arcos de Valdevez to the status of a vila — a milestone the town marked with this piece of civic pride.
Manueline pillories were symbols of municipal authority: the place where official proclamations were read and, on occasion, where punishments were administered. This one is unusually decorative for a functional legal object, with its spiral shaft and elaborate capital reflecting the exuberant stone-carving tradition that flourished in Portugal during the reign of Manuel I.