The Great Brazilian Road Trip heads inland, following the Outlaw Trail in hot pursuit of history.
The Cangaceiro (Outlaw) Trail
Northeastern Brazil is known for many things including a complicated history involving the “cangaceiro.” The most famous cangaceiro were “Lampião” (a nickname; literally “Oil Lamp”) and Maria Bonita (“Pretty Maria”), and they appear absolutely everywhere - from Natal to Salvador - in paintings, restaurants, hotels, museums, and souvenir shops.
We’re big history nerds and so we decided to detour away from the many miles of signature Northeastern beaches to check out the canyons and scrublands which were home to the cangaceiro before their gruesome demise. These days, this detour is known as “following the cangaceiro (outlaw) trail.”
Historical Background
For much of our trip, I’ve been translating “cangaceiro” as “outlaw” because Lampião and Maria Bonita were definitely outlaws. Between the late 1920s and late 1930s, they robbed, maimed, kidnapped, and killed their way across Northeastern Brazil and had over 200 epic shoot-outs with the police.
However, during this portion of the trip, I learned that “cangaceiro” has a much broader meaning which really includes anyone who was poor and trying to eke out a living in the dry regions of the northeastern interior in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Cangaceiros are most recognizable through their clothing which are primarily made of leather and usually include the iconic cangaceiro hat.
The extreme poverty in the dry interior of the northeast meant life was extremely difficult for the cangaceiros. Life was made even harder by a (perceived) negligent government, aggressive land barons, and a corrupt and abusive police force.
In rebellion against these repressive systems, many of the cangaceiros joined forces and became “social bandits,” seeking revenge and stealing from the rich to (sometimes) give back to the poor.
As an example of this, Lampião (formerly known as Virgulino Ferrira da Silva) began life as a farmer. During a land dispute with the neighboring farmer, the local police force arrived to “help.” As the story goes, the police then shot and killed Virgulino’s father and mother on sight, without provocation.
Virgulino was outraged and joined a local band of cangaceiro bandits to seek his revenge.
He spent the rest of his life (some 17 years) roaming Northeastern Brazil, killing police, maiming the wealthy, and taking hostages for ransom.
Eventually, he became the leader of his own band of bandits, gaining notoriety for both his brutality against his perceived enemies and his loyalty and kindness to those who helped him.
Maria Bonita read of Lampião’s exploits in the local newspaper and fell in love with his “bravery,” despite being married to another man. Upon meeting her for the first time, Lampião was struck by her beauty and fell madly in love as well. He then wrote a letter to Maria Bonita’s husband informing him the marriage was over.
In 1930, Maria Bonita became the first (although not last) woman to join Lampião’s band of cangaceiro bandits.
Over the years, so many cangaceiros took up arms that “cangaceiro” became synonymous with “bandit” or “outlaw.” Although brutal, “cangaceiros” enjoy hero-villain status in Brazil, especially today. Lampião and Maria Bonita in particular are iconic, and they remind me a lot of America’s Bonnie and Clyde.
Caninde do Sao Francisco (San Francisco Canyon)
Although the real “Outlaw Trail” covers hundreds of miles across several states, we chose to begin our Outlaw Adventure around where Lampiao and Maria Bonita spent the final weeks of their lives.
Caninde do Sao Francisco (San Francisco Canyon), alternatively known as Xingo do Sao Francisco, is a canyon formed by the San Francisco River. During the time of the cangaciero, the canyon walls rose high above the river and were a favorite haunt of Lampião’s band of outlaws.
In 1994, the Brazilian government built a hydroelectric plant and damming the São Francisco River close to the town of Piranhas. This pushed the Sao Francisco River back into the canyons, creating a reservoir of water which is now a popular recreation area.
We decided to explore the area by hopping a Catamaran Canyon Tour. Our boat was large but comfortable, and we were joined by plenty of other couples and families eating, drinking, dancing, and generally enjoying their time out on the water.
We were driven up the Canyon for about an hour, then we parked for another hour so we could explore one of the smaller canyons in a smaller boat. Those with kids went for a swim, and then we drove the hour back to the dock.
The excursion was hardly exciting and contained very little historical information. That said, we enjoyed the low-key pace of the day as well as the change of scenery from our previous miles of beaches.
We returned to our hotel feeling refreshed and relaxed.
Xingo Parque Hotel
To make the most of our time on the Outlaw Trail, we decided to stay close to the action.
The Xingo Parque Hotel overlooks the Piranhas Dam and is clearly geared towards families with kids. The breakfast buffet is overseen by “Lampião” (in full costume) and the pool has both a water slide and giant water bucket.
We got a kick out of the kitsch and especially enjoyed the family of monkeys who live in the mango trees that line the hotel’s driveway.
Lampiao’s Last Stand
Despite his popularity, Lampiao was eventually betrayed by one of his men who revealed the location of his hideout to the police. On July 28th, 1938, Lampião, Maria Bonita, and their gang were ambushed and killed in a grotto on Angicos farm. After their death, the police cut off their heads and put them on display as a warning to the remaining cangaceiros.
To end our Outlaw Adventure, we decided to hike the trail into the Angicos’ grotto. To do this, we caught a boat down the Sao Francisco River from the historical town of Piranhas. After about 45 minutes, we docked at a family farm-turned restaurant and, from there, we joined a guided hiking tour.
Our guide was dressed as Maria Bonita and was incredibly knowledgeable about cangacerio history as well as local flora and fauna. I was very amused that so many in our group decided to hike in flip flops until I realized it was less like a “hike” and more like a “walk.”
Despite the absence of strenuous hiking, we both enjoyed learning more about the cangaceiros and experiencing the dusty, dry landscape of the region up close and personal. Crosses have been raised in memorial for Lampião, Maria Bonita, and a young police officer who also lost his life in the shoot-out.
Sitting in Angicos’ grotto you can’t help but feel a sense of respect for those who survived so long living such a difficult life.
After our hike, we caught the boat back up river to Piranhas and spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the old town (which has a Cangaceiro Museum!) and enjoying the amazing views of the São Francisco River.
If you have time, we highly recommend stopping for a drink (or ice cream) at the Flor de Cactus Restaurant which overlooks the river and historic town.
Overall
The Outlaw Trail is for history lovers as well as those hoping to diversify their experience in Northeastern Brazil.
While some have turned this into a day trip from Aracaju, we preferred staying close by as it gave us more time to appreciate the area and its own wild beauty.
