Maria dos Anjos

Maria dos Anjos was a valentona - a tough, fearless woman - who practiced capoeira, batuque, and samba in Salvador, Bahia during the 1920s and 1930s. She was one of the earliest documented female capoeiristas in Brazilian history, training alongside her companion Salomé under the male capoeirista Doze Homens.

According to testimony from Mestre Atenilo (Altenísio dos Santos, 1916-1986), one of Mestre Bimba's oldest students, he personally knew both Maria dos Anjos and Salomé. When researcher Bira Almeida questioned Atenilo about the women's identities, suggesting they might not have been "real women", Atenilo indignantly responded: "c'était des femmes, des vraies!" - they were women, real women! He described both as individuals of strong character - "mulheres de valor".

Maria dos Anjos and Salomé were known in early 20th-century Salvador for their love of batuque (a form of combat/dance that preceded and influenced capoeira) and samba. Both learned from Doze Homens, a capoeirista who was himself a companion of the legendary Besouro Mangangá at Trapiche de Baixo in Santo Amaro. Tragically, Doze Homens was killed during the brutal Pedrito persecution around 1925, leaving his students to carry on his legacy.

This was a time when capoeira was still criminalized and the presence of women in the rodas was exceptional. Yet Maria dos Anjos carved out her space through skill and courage, becoming one of the legendary valentonas of Bahia alongside figures like Salomé, Maria Doze Homens, Chicão, Angélica Endiabrada, and Rosa Palmeirão.

Through Maria dos Anjos, some historians have speculated, the nickname "Maria Doze Homens" may have entered capoeira legend - as "Maria [student of] Doze Homens". However, Maria Doze Homens (Maria Felipe de Oliveira) appears to be a separate individual whose nickname has different origins. The confusion persists in oral tradition, but the testimony of Mestre Atenilo clearly distinguishes Maria dos Anjos as a student of the male teacher Doze Homens, not as "Maria Doze Homens" herself.