Maria Homem

Maria Homem was one of the most formidable female capoeiristas of early twentieth-century Bahia, whose legendary feats against police officers became part of Salvador's oral tradition. Her apelido, "Maria the Man", speaks to the reputation she earned in a male-dominated world through sheer fighting ability.

The primary account of Maria Homem comes from Mestre Pastinha in a 1969 interview with Diário Popular. She frequented a "birosca" (small bar) at Largo do Pelourinho, where she liked to "tomar uns tragos" (have some drinks). Her reputation was such that "até o delegado tinha mêdo"—even the police delegate feared her—and "não havia polícia que a prendesse" (no police could arrest her).

Pastinha recounted a specific confrontation: An "outsider corporal" (cabo forasteiro) tried to prove himself by arresting the intoxicated Maria Homem. The local officers, knowing her reputation, refused to obey his order. Undeterred, the corporal attempted the arrest himself. According to Pastinha, "he flew six meters" and his companions fled. The stubborn corporal returned with reinforcements, only to suffer the same fate—witnesses across the Pelourinho slope saw "soldado avoando" (soldiers flying) down the hillside.

Maria Homem was active during what Pastinha described as a golden era for women in capoeira. Between 1902 and 1911, Salvador witnessed "an exhibition of real mestras of capoeira Angola, who were as agile and able as the men". These women adapted their restrictive clothing to practice: they tore their floor-length skirts on the sides, connecting front and back with a string at the waist to create improvised pants—"enough to play capoeira with any guy", as Pastinha noted.

In his 1988 book *Capoeira Angola*, Pastinha named only two female capoeiristas when honoring the practitioners of his era: "Júlia Fogareiro e Maria Homem" (p. 18). In 1976, when O Globo interviewed him about the generation of "angoleiros de briga" (fighting angoleiros) who came before him, Maria Homem appeared alongside legendary names: Bigode de Seda, Bugalho, Américo Ciência, Besouro, Tibiriçá, Amorzinho, Três Pedaços, Doze Homens, Inimigos Sem Tripa, Zé do U, Sete Mortes, Chico Me Dá, and Júlia Fogareira. That Maria Homem was one of only two women in this roster speaks to her exceptional skill.

Pastinha lamented that women of Maria Homem's caliber no longer existed: "É pena que não haja mais mulheres de tal estofo, pois a mulher deve também compartilhar da defesa de seu lar" (It's a pity there are no more women of such material, because women should also share in defending their home).

Maria Homem is sometimes confused with other legendary female capoeiristas, particularly Maria Doze Homens (Maria Twelve Men), but sources distinguish them as separate figures. Her story represents the often-forgotten history of women in early capoeira, who broke gender barriers in a male-dominated practice.