• When he was discharged
     M Pastinha moved to Monturo Slope*
     and put his capoeira school
     on Santa Isabel Street 

    1910

    M Pastinha's manuscripts: And my good master, I learned on Laranjeira street [2 on the map], and taught on Sta Izabel street [3 on the map] from 1910 to 1912, when I abandoned capoeira [..]»

    Commercio magazine, 1964: Leaving the school, he went on to make a living in the profession he had learned in the School of Arts and Crafts [7 on the map]. He became a painter and painting here and there, he "defended himself", managing to get enough money to sustain himself. Then he became a capoeirista.

    Track 5 of M Pastinha's LP, 1969: « I had a student named Aberrê, who was my student and was the godson of the same godfather I had. He lived on São Francisco slope [8 on the map], and I lived on Monturo slope [9 on the map]. I took him, he came to my place for me to teach him to play capoeira, when I was discharged.»

    M Pastinha in Newspaper Ex-13, 1975: «[In the Marines] I stayed and in 1910 I asked for leave, right? I spent 8 years in the Marines [6 on the map]. In 1910 I got Raimundo Aberrei. He was the first student that I had then when I asked for a leave. Raimundo, Zeca, João Fortunato, João Moleque, all of them, Virício. I made many of them. I taught them on Santa Isabel street. [..]

    All the students were workers. Well. I put it there. From then on I went, I went, started to teach here, had one, two, 3, 4 student houses, here on Cruzeiro Square [4 on the map]. Men who came to Salvador to get an education in the Bahian faculty, right? Medical students, all corporations. My academy was already on Cruzeiro de São Francisco, on the street, in the middle of the Terreiro [5 on the map]. This was in 1910, 12, 13, right? Later I became a worker at the Santa Casa de Misericórdia. I started to work, stayed silent with capoeira. [..]

    Look: in 1910, when I took the leave, I was a worker, in my first job, that I found in the press, in Diário da Bahia (this newspaper doesn't exist for some time). I worked there as the carrier. You know what for? To take the gazette to post office, signature. I made 1.600 réis. Got it? Then I left, got a job at the post office, in the business, also as a carrier. So I worked for my share, you see? I was single and didn't marry, see?»

    * 9 Monturo slope - the old name of the Pax slope - 12 de Outubro street. Leal, Geraldo da Costa. Perfis Urbanos da Bahia, 2002. p. 155.

    1 Tijolo street where M Pastinha was born.

    For all we know M Pastinha never talked about his school on Campo da Pólvora. To hear the version by Reis, 1997, see source.

    Location map

    Location map


    Image gallery

    • «And my good master, I learned on Laranjeira street, and taught on Sta Izabel street from 1910 to 1912, when I abandoned capoeira [..]»

    • «[..] I've made students since 1910 until 12, stopped to teach and returned in 1941 [..]»

    • Santa Isabel street

    Santa Isabel street, Salvador


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