Discover Cabaceiras, where scenes from ‘Cangaço Novo’ were recorded – 10/31/2023 – 2023

When the sun in the backlands begins to say goodbye to the day, it’s time to enjoy the spectacle. For a few minutes, golden light bathes the rock formation that takes us to an extraplanetary setting. In an area of ​​approximately 1.5 km², it appears that nature shaped a deep plate facing downwards. On it, at least a hundred stones of different sizes. Some are taller, around 4 m and up to 9 m tall, others with shapes that resemble a boxing helmet. Some can weigh 45 tons. Rounded, these granite blocks were worn and polished by the action of water and wind over time.

We are in Lajedo de Pai Mateus, in the rural area of ​​tiny Cabaceiras, a city in Cariri, Paraíba, with 5,335 inhabitants. It is the smallest of the 169 cities visited by researchers from the Datafolha Institute to carry out what is considered the largest brand recall study in Latin America, Folha Top of Mind.

The large number of blocks resembles a kind of “sea of ​​balls”, as explained by guide Romero Alves de Farias, 39 years old, 16 of them leading visitors around the region. This is in the middle of the northeastern caatinga. The name of the place is a reference to the legend of a hermit, called Pai Mateus, who lived there in the 18th century. He gained fame thanks to his powers as a healer. In the cave that served as his home, today there is still a stone table and inscriptions can be seen on the ceiling and walls.

The rock formations are perhaps the main postcard of Cabaceiras, but not the only one. The small town, 78 km from Campina Grande and around 200 km from the capital, João Pessoa, was chosen by Datafolha because it is an emblematic location in the northeastern hinterland.

It is located in a region with one of the lowest rainfall in the country, which results in good light and allows for more filming time per day. Such characteristics, added to the natural heritage and a historic cinematographic center, gave Cabaceiras the title of “Roliúde Nordestina”, as announced by the sign installed in a mountain range.

The city and surrounding areas have already been the “set” of at least 30 productions, including films and series. Perhaps one of the best ever produced by Brazilian streaming, “Cangaço Novo”, with eight episodes on Amazon Prime, had scenes shot there. On open TV, another successful super series, “Onde Nascem os Fortes”, shown by Rede Globo in 2018, also took advantage of the Pai Mateus setting.

The portico at the entrance to the municipality, in the shape of a film, already signals the vocation of Cabaceiras. The charming little center, a mix of neoclassical architecture with a bit of art deco, became one of the cinema classics.

As in “O Auto da Compadecida”, adaptation by Guel Arraes of the work of writer Ariano Suassuna (1927-2014).

Manuel Batista de Lima, 77, known as Manuel de João Preto, born and raised in Cabaceiras, worked on four films, including “Auto da Compadecida”. He says that, in the costume, there were 1,500 pairs of shoes and 1,500 pieces of clothing. João Preto copied the model of his character’s clothes, Lampião style, sewed the piece and uses it to take photos alongside tourists. The shotgun is a so-called “whack-a-mole armpit,” he says. Cinema, according to him, brought everything to Cabaceiras.

“The problem is that almost everything is from the same brand”, he criticizes. “Lacks variety.”

There is no shortage of cangaceira fashion in the backlands. The outfit was made with goat leather by Norberto Castro, 63, history teacher, craftsman and guide. “This way”, he says, “I share a little of the history of cangaço and the regional culture of Cabaceiras”. He remembers that, despite receiving many tourists, especially foreigners, the region has many areas where the internet does not work. “This is in a place where people want to take photos and then post them,” he comments. “Things need to evolve according to society’s needs.”

The city is also known in the hinterland as the “goat capital”. Since the late 1990s, Cabaceiras has attracted people from different parts of the Northeast with its Festa do De Bode Rei, which usually takes place annually in the first week of June and attracts up to 50 thousand people.

In it, the goat is the king, and the goat is the queen. During the three days of the festival, people toast with a typical drink, called Xixi de Cabrita. The goat’s milk, brandy and vanilla liqueur is among the “boddish delicacies” of Cabaceiras. On the gastronomic side, there are traditional dishes on offer, such as “bodioca”, tapioca stuffed with goat meat, or “McBode”, a goat meat burger.

“Just walk through the rural area and you will hear the bells hanging around the necks of the animals that lead the herd to graze through the caatinga”, says tourist Maria Aparecida da Silva, 63, retired, resident of Pernambuco.

The Igreja Matriz Nossa Senhora da Conceição, built in the first half of the 18th century as a small chapel, underwent renovation in 1833, when the structure was expanded. It is the perfect stopping point to, from time to time, enjoy the coming and going of actors, directors, visitors and curious people around the town.

Audiovisual, without a doubt, moves Cabaceiras, but goat farming is one of the main economic activities in Cariri, responsible for the production of both meat and leather.

“I started helping my father when I was six years old”, recalls José Carlos de Castro, 67, at the head of Arteza (Work Cooperative of Tanners and Leather Craftsmen of Ribeira de Cabaceiras), which today has around 400 people.

“I’m the great-grandson, grandson and son of a leatherworker. We make 23 thousand pieces a month”, boasts he, who works in the Ribeira district.

Of this total, 80% are made from goat skin and 20% from sheep and ox skin. “Here, we produce everything from leather clothing for cowboys to chic shopping bags.”

He complains about the lack of a refrigerator in the region. “The leather comes in salt so it doesn’t rot,” he explains. But he makes a point of saying that the entire process to remove excess substance is done using minerals or vegetables, to avoid polluting the region’s streams.

Ornamented by low vegetation, which alternates between dry branches and discreet green, another highlight of the rural landscape is approximately 20 km from the urban area. It is another rock formation, known as Saca de Lã.

The mission is to follow the trail through the cracks in the rock, reach the top and shout loudly, to hear the sound echo among the rocks and vegetation of the caatinga.

The name comes from the shape generated by the wear of the rock, which resembles stacked bales of cotton. There are also those who see a “block castle” and even those who swear that the stones were cut by hand and placed there one by one. Others believe that it is a sculpture made to maintain contact with extraterrestrials.

As we are in the land of cinema, mystery, mysticism or simply dreaming is part of the journey.