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Mestre Pastinha

Brazilian capoeira master (1889–1981), who founded the Centro Esportivo de Capoeira Angola in Salvador in 1941 and formalized the teaching of capoeira angola.

Quick Facts

Date of Birth4/5/1889
Date of Death11/13/1981
Country of OriginBrazilBrazil
Also known asVicente Ferreira Pastinha

Biography

Mestre Pastinha, born Vicente Ferreira Pastinha, was a Brazilian master of capoeira angola. He was born on 5 April 1889 in Salvador, in the Brazilian state of Bahia, and died there on 13 November 1981 at the Abrigo D. Pedro II shelter, aged 92. His mother was Maria Eugenia Ferreira, a Black woman from Bahia, and his father was José Pastiña, a Spanish door-to-door trader.

From the age of 10 he was taught capoeira for about three years by an older neighbor, Benedito, an African originally from Angola.

In 1941 he founded the Centro Esportivo de Capoeira Angola on Pelourinho square in Salvador. He formalized the teaching of capoeira angola, introducing structured classes and uniforms and building a hierarchical teaching structure. His main students included João Pequeno, João Grande, Aberrê, Gato Preto, Gildo Alfinete, Roberto Satanás and Camafeu de Oxóssi. He earned the nickname the philosopher of capoeira for his sayings.

In 1966 he took part in the first international festival of Black arts (Festival des Arts Nègres) in Dakar, Senegal. He played his last game (jogo) on 12 April 1981, a few months before his death.

Associated Martial Arts

Capoeira AngolaCodifier→

A style of capoeira associated with Mestre Pastinha, who registered the CECA school in Salvador in 1941. Slower rhythm, emphasis on music, training in shoes.

Organisations