Vila / Maumeta (Sentru Atauro)

Vila Maumeta is the sleepy municipal capital of Atauro Island, where shaded dirt lanes are bordered by whitewashed colonial walls, flowering frangipani, and traditional thatched dwellings. The highlight of any visit is the Boneca de Atauro workshop, a bustling hive of creativity where local women craft colorful textiles, embroidered cushions, and whimsical dolls depicting traditional Timorese daily life.

During the Portuguese colonial era and the Indonesian occupation, Atauro was used as a prison island for political exiles. Vila Maumeta served as the colonial administrative center. In 2002, the Boneca de Atauro cooperative was founded to provide sustainable income for island women through textile handcrafts, becoming one of Timor-Leste's greatest social enterprise success stories.