Mestre Capazans

Mestre Capazans is a figure from Salvador's Capoeira Regional history whose life remains largely undocumented beyond a single newspaper reference. What we know comes from a February 1982 O Globo article titled "Capoeira - Uma grande controvérsia nas rodas da Bahia" ("Capoeira - A great controversy in the Bahia rodas"), which surveyed the state of capoeira in Salvador at that time.

The article categorized active mestres by lineage, listing those in the Regional branch as "almost all direct disciples of the legendary Bimba". Capazans appears among the most prominent: Itapuã, Vinte e Nove, Brás Amansa Brabo, Vermelho 27, Medicina, Banduê, Capazans, Ezequiel, and Hélio Xaréu.

This places Capazans in significant company. His contemporaries in that 1982 roster included several documented figures: Mestre Itapuã (Raimundo César Alves de Almeida), who had co-founded the Ginga Associação de Capoeira with Hélio Xaréu in 1972; Vermelho 27, who had assumed direction of Bimba's academy at Terreiro de Jesus after the master's departure for Goiânia; Ezequiel, who had integrated capoeira into the Military Police curriculum; and Hélio Xaréu, who had brought capoeira to the UFBA School of Physical Education.

The phrase "almost all direct disciples" leaves room for uncertainty. Some on this list, like Medicina, actually trained under second-generation teachers (Medicina learned from Suassuna, not directly from Bimba). Without additional sources, we cannot confirm whether Capazans trained directly with Mestre Bimba or through an intermediary. Given the context—a list of prominent Regional mestres in Salvador in 1982—direct training with Bimba is the most likely interpretation.

His apelido is distinctive and unusual within capoeira naming conventions. The name may derive from "capaz" (capable, able) with an augmentative suffix, suggesting someone of notable ability. However, without biographical sources to confirm the origin, this remains speculation.

Beyond the 1982 press reference, Capazans's story has not been preserved in available documentation. His full name, birth and death dates, training history, academy location, and lineage of students remain unknown. He represents one of many mestres from Bimba's orbit whose individual contributions have been overshadowed by more extensively documented figures. His presence in the 1982 O Globo article confirms he was recognized as a significant figure in Salvador's Capoeira Regional community at that time.