Mestre Marcio

Mestre Marcio Martins is a contemporary capoeira mestre from São Paulo who trained under Mestre Limão (Paulo dos Santos, 1945-1985). He is part of a significant lineage that traces back to the legendary Mestre Caiçara of Santo Amaro da Purificação, Bahia. Mestre Limão, who learned from Caiçara, came to São Paulo in the late 1960s and established himself as one of the most important mestres in the city's South Zone, founding the Academia Quilombo dos Palmares (1970) and the Praia do Sol group during the 1970s-80s.

Marcio trained under Limão during this formative period of São Paulo capoeira, when several influential mestres from Bahia had migrated to the industrial capital. On October 31, 1979, the Associação de Capoeira Praia do Sol was officially founded, with Marcio Martins serving as president—a position he continues to hold. The association is headquartered in the Vila Calu neighborhood of São Paulo's South Zone.

After Mestre Limão's tragic death in 1985, Mestre Marcio continued the Praia do Sol lineage. He trained the next generation, most notably Mestre Paraná, who would go on to found Caravelas Negras in 1993. Through this lineage, Praia do Sol's influence has extended internationally, with Caravelas Negras now operating one of the largest capoeira networks in the Netherlands under Contra Mestre Miojo.

The Praia do Sol lineage is particularly notable as part of the broader movement of Bahian mestres establishing capoeira in São Paulo during the 1960s-80s. This era saw the creation of numerous academies that would shape the character of São Paulo's capoeira scene, blending the traditions of Bahia with the realities of Brazil's industrial heartland.