Júlia Fogareira

Júlia Fogareira was one of the rare documented female capoeiristas of early twentieth-century Bahia. Between 1902 and 1911, Salvador witnessed what Mestre Pastinha described as "a never-seen spectacle" of female capoeira mestras who were "as agile and able as the men". Pastinha listed Júlia among the famous women practitioners of this era, alongside Maria Homem, Palmeirona, and Maria Pernambucana.

These women learned capoeira not from a single source but from multiple masters available during that period, including a young Pastinha himself. The era was reportedly "a tough time for the Don Juans and for the police", suggesting these women were formidable fighters who commanded respect in Salvador's streets.

When asked about how women of that era practiced in their restrictive clothing, Pastinha explained their practical solution: "At that time dresses reached the ground. The women tore their skirts on the sides. They connected the rear part with the front one, putting them on their waist with a string, making a sort of pants". This adaptation was, as Pastinha noted, "enough to play capoeira with any guy".

In 1976, when O Globo newspaper interviewed Pastinha about the generation of "angoleiros de briga" (fighting angoleiros) who came before him, he listed Júlia Fogareira among legendary practitioners including 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 Maria Homem. That Júlia and Maria Homem were the only two women included in this roster of renowned fighters speaks to their exceptional skill and reputation.

The apelido "Fogareira" derives from "fogo" (fire), suggesting either a fiery temperament or an intense, passionate style of play in the roda. Some sources also list her as "Júlia Fogareiro", a variant spelling. Her inclusion among the legendary pre-modern capoeiristas places her in the same category as figures who became folklore—street fighters whose names endured through oral tradition even as written records remained scarce.

Like most women capoeiristas of her era, little concrete biographical information survives beyond Pastinha's testimonies. Academic research notes that "it is still impossible to be certain of their existence and there are confusions regarding names, due to lack of written documentation". What is certain is that Pastinha consistently remembered these women among the greatest capoeiristas he had ever known, and that their presence challenges the common assumption that early capoeira was an exclusively male practice.