Mestre Aberrê

Antônio Raimundo Argolo was born on August 6, 1895, in Santo Amaro da Purificação in the Recôncavo Baiano—the same year as the legendary Besouro Mangangá. Son of Ângelo Argolo and Maria R. de Argolo, he grew up to become one of the pivotal figures in the survival of Capoeira Angola.

By 1910, the teenage Aberrê had moved to Salvador and was already practicing capoeira in the Baixada do Matatu Preto in the Matatu neighborhood. He trained among a formidable generation: Onça Preta, Geraldo Chapeleiro, Totonho de Maré, Creoni, Chico Três Pedaços, Pedro Paulo Barroquinha, and Barbosa. Sources disagree on his primary teacher—some attribute his training to Mestre Pastinha, others to Mestre Antônio de Noronha, and some suggest both.

In 1935, Aberrê began teaching a 10-year-old named Washington Bruno da Silva—who would become Mestre Canjiquinha, "the joy of capoeira"—at the Matatu Preto Sunday training sessions. In 1938, he also began training 14-year-old Antônio Conceição Moraes from Cachoeira (later Mestre Caiçara), teaching him "os segredos e mistérios da capoeiragem" (the secrets and mysteries of capoeira). Aberrê emphasized practical street defense: negativa, queda de rim, and how to fall safely. When asked why, he explained simply: if someone pushes you in the street, you need to know how to land.

In 1936, Aberrê proved himself in Salvador's fighting circuit. On March 25, he challenged Mestre Bimba at Parque Odeon. On May 16, he faced Onça Preta (Cícero Navarro). These challenges demonstrated his standing among the great mestres of his era.

By 1939, he was working as a mason at Santa Casa de Misericórdia da Bahia. Ruth Landes may have photographed him in October 1938 during her anthropological research in Salvador.

Then came 1941—the year Aberrê changed capoeira history. With several mestres dead and the tradition in danger of fragmenting, Aberrê convinced his former teacher (or student—accounts conflict) Pastinha to return to capoeira after a 30-year absence. According to Mestre Noronha's manuscripts, Aberrê exercised leadership among the capoeiristas and, along with Amorzinho and Totonho de Maré, had helped create the Angolan capoeira center at Conceição da Praia—the embryo of the legendary Gengibirra roda.

On February 23, 1941, Aberrê invited Pastinha to a Sunday roda at Ladeira de Gengibirra in the Liberdade neighborhood. Aberrê was already famous at these gatherings. When Pastinha arrived, Amorzinho—a civil guard who led the roda—offered him the berimbau: "I have been waiting a long time to give you this capoeira for you to master". With Aberrê, Amorzinho, and Antonio Maré passing him the instrument, Pastinha became the leader of Capoeira Angola. Without Aberrê's intervention, the "pastiniana" lineage might never have existed.

In September 1942, at a lively roda in Lower City where the Estrela de Salomão (Star of Solomon) was drawn, Aberrê was dominating his adversary when suddenly, without anyone expecting it, he collapsed. According to Mestre Canjiquinha, Aberrê had eaten beans with fat that morning, sang capoeira songs, then fell ill during a student's game, collapsing during cartwheels. Mestre Onça Preta confirmed: it was a heart attack.

For weeks, no one played capoeira in Bahia. Everyone understood they had lost a great master.

The bengala (walking cane) that Aberrê always carried—both for elegance and as a potential weapon—he gave to his student Caiçara before his death. It remained a symbol of their lineage. Mestre Canjiquinha later founded the "Conjunto Folclórico Aberrê" in honor of his teacher.

**Note on the "Two Aberrês" controversy:** Some secondary sources identify Caiçara's teacher as "Antônio Rufino dos Santos, Aberrê de Santo Amaro"—suggesting two different capoeiristas named Aberrê. However, research indicates this is likely confusion about Aberrê's birthplace (Santo Amaro da Purificação) versus his residence (Salvador). Multiple sources confirm: (1) Aberrê was "natural de Santo Amaro da Purificação" (born there); (2) By 1910 he was already living in Salvador; (3) He taught BOTH Canjiquinha and Caiçara. The "Rufino" vs "Raimundo" discrepancy appears to stem from oral history confusion decades later. Both Canjiquinha and Caiçara denied connection to Pastinha's lineage, but this reflects lineage politics rather than evidence of two different teachers.