Mestre Antônio de Noronha

Mestre Antônio de Noronha is a shadowy but critical figure in capoeira Angola history. He exists primarily through oral tradition and lineage claims, with almost no biographical details surviving.

Around 1910-1912, a young Aberrê (Antônio Raimundo Argolo, born 1895) learned capoeira in Salvador. The reliable source velhosmestres.com states he "learned capoeira with M Pastinha and/or with M Antônio de Noronha" during this period. The Grupo Esquiva de Rua website lists Aberrê's "Origem: Mestre Antonio de Noronha"—identifying him as Aberrê's primary teacher.

The strongest evidence comes from direct testimony: "Mestre Aberrê is the second mestre in my lineage, above him comes Mestre Antônio de Noronha—this affirmation came from Mestre Caiçara and Mestre Silvestre". Mestre Silvestre (Silvestre Vitório Ferreira) was a student of both Mestre Waldemar and Mestre Caiçara, and his testimony carries weight. Grupo Gingarte also follows this lineage, confirming the chain: Antônio de Noronha → Aberrê → Canjiquinha.

If he was teaching in 1910-1912, and assuming he was at least 30-40 years old when teaching (the typical age for a recognized mestre in that era), he was likely born between 1870 and 1880. This places him in the generation that learned capoeira when it was first criminalized in Brazil (1890) and practiced it in hiding or under police persecution.