5. Pretty Mary
Maria Bonita’s new husband was no more faithful than her ex had been. But at least he was not an alcoholic who routinely beat her. And the bandit life with the dashing Lampiao was more exciting than her previous existence as an alcoholic shoemaker’s wife in a small village. So despite several outbursts of jealous rage at Lampiao’s affairs with other women, she stayed. Maria fought at Lampiao’s side, and when on the battlefield, she gave up the silk dresses for leather boots and rough cotton clothes. In 1931, at Maria’s insistence, the duo spent time at a farm, as an improvised honeymoon. It was not enough for Maria, however, and she eventually repaid Lampiao’s unfaithfulness by carrying on an affair with a merchant, who showered her with expensive shoes, clothes and other gifts. Luckily for both, Lampiao never suspected that he was being cuckolded.
On September 13th, 1931, Maria bore Lampiao a daughter, Expedita Ferreira Nunes. In accordance with cangaço custom, the baby was given friends to be raised. Although she became famous in later years as Maria Bonita, or Pretty Mary, neither Lampiao nor his relatives and gang had ever called her that. It was a nickname that only became common after her death. There are some versions about the nickname’s origin. One is that it was an invention of Rio de Janeiro newspaper reporters, possibly inspired by a then-popular Brazilian movie, Maria Bonita, released in 1937. Another theory is that it was a nickname giver her by soldiers, impressed by the beauty of the cangaceira when she was killed in 1938.
