Pequena

Maria Bispo, known as Pequena, was a capoeirista and normalista (teacher) from Santo Amaro, Bahia. She is the mother of Mestre Curió, one of Capoeira Angola's most revered guardians, and represents the often-overlooked maternal line of capoeira transmission in the early 20th century.

Maria came from a family of angoleiros in Santo Amaro da Purificação, in the Recôncavo Baiano—a region central to capoeira's development. Her sister also practiced capoeira, indicating that the art was not limited to men in her family. This tradition of female practitioners in Santo Amaro, while rarely documented, was part of the broader fabric of capoeira culture that included figures like Maria Homem, Julia Fogareira, and other legendary capoeiristas listed by Mestre Pastinha.

Maria married José Martins dos Santos (known as Malvadeza or Martim da Pemba), himself a capoeirista and the son of Pedro Virício (Curió Velho). Together they formed a household where capoeira was not merely practiced but lived. The depth of their commitment to the art is demonstrated by a remarkable fact: Maria gave birth to their son Jaime within a roda de capoeira.

Jaime Martins dos Santos was born on January 23, 1937, in Candeias, Bahia. From age six, he would be trained in capoeira by both his father and grandfather, eventually becoming the celebrated Mestre Curió. Mestre Curió speaks of his family with pride: "I have my whole family of capoeiristas"—including not only his father and grandfather but also his mother and aunt.

Maria Bispo's profession as a normalista (a graduate of a normal school, qualified to teach primary education) suggests she was an educated woman, relatively uncommon for Afro-Brazilian women of her era. This combination of formal education and traditional knowledge of capoeira made her a bridge between two worlds.

While little additional documentation survives about Maria Bispo's individual capoeira practice, her presence in this remarkable family—as wife, mother, and practitioner—helped create the conditions for one of the most complete transmissions of Capoeira Angola tradition from the pre-prohibition era to the present day.