Mestre Pastina

In 1941, Mestre Pastinha (Vincente Ferreira Pastinha) opened his Capoeira Angola school. For the first time, Capoeira began to be taught and practiced openly in a formal setting. He became known as the “Philosopher of Capoeira” because of his many aphorisms. Unfortunately, he had his academy confiscated by government authorities, under the pretext of reforming the Largo do Pelourinho. Although he was promised a new one, the government never came through. The final years of his life were sad – blind and almost abandoned he lived in a small room until his death in 1981 at the age of ninety-two.