History

Mestre Pastinha (Vicente Ferreira Pastinha) is best known for preserving capoeira angola, the more traditional style of capoeira. He lived from 1889 to 1981. Mestre Pastinha is known as the “philosopher of capoeira” because of his great wisdom about the art and about life in general. Despite his immensely important work in preserving the traditional capoeira, he came to an unfortunate end. The government took away his academy, promising to renovate it and return it to him, but the renovated space was instead given to a restaurant. Mestre Pastinha died poor, blind, and bitter about the injustice he suffered; however, he did not regret his life as a capoeirista.

"Angola, mother of Capoeira. Sorcery of slaves in the longing for freedom; its beginning has no method and its end is inconceivable to even the most knowledgeable capoeirista" – Mestre Pastinha

When slavery came to an end in 1888, some of the best martial arts experts were able to make a living as leaders of gangs in the criminal underworld. Famed for their agility, cunning and fighting prowess, some Masters became legends in their own lifetime.

Manoel Henrique Pereira (Born in Santo Amaro da Purificação, 1895 - 1924), better known in the Capoeira world as Besouro Mangangá, was a Bahian capoeirista that early in the twentieth century became the ultimate symbol of Bahian capoeira. His fame reached the national level from the years 1930 and with the expansion of Capoeira to other continents, is internationalized. Besouro means beetle in Portuguese. That name was chosen because he became known to be able to escape out of difficult situations. Just like a black beetle, spreading its wings at the top of a branch and taking flight. And just like a beetle he would be always on the move.

Article about Mestre Bimba (Manoel dos Reis Machado), creator of Capoeira Regional and one of the most influential person in the history of Capoeira