This is a translation of the stories from the book: Visagens e Assombrações de Belém by the writer Walcyr Monteiro (1940-2019). Walcyr was a journalist who dedicated part of his life to narrating Amazonian folklore. His legacy needs to be known by the world and not restricted to the Portuguese language. This is the first part of a compilation of legends related to the cemeteries of Belém, mainly those of Soledade and Santa Izabel, which today are considered open-air museums for their hundreds of sculptures that refer to neoclassical art. It is worth mentioning the citation of popular saints who spontaneously received notoriety. The real characters make the stories more enchanting and make us bump into the threshold between the real and the popular imagination.

1. Ghosts and Legends Amazon
https://uii.io/GhostsandLegends1
Preface
The inventory of folkloric manifestations in the Amazon is far from being carried out in a complete
and finished way. What is known is the sparse record of popular events occurring in certain places
in the region, most of them collected without methodological support, which makes any concern
to be able to measure the intensity of these phenomena in the context of the regional society in
which the same was registered. The urban and inland populations in the Amazon offer, on the
other hand, very interesting theoretical perspectives for their study and analysis. These groupings
emerged, and continue to emerge, due to the specific conditions of their location and their basic
economy, forming true ecological zones, subdivided into characteristic micro-areas, constituting
true complex ecosystems.
These ecological zones have an urban center par excellence, the seat of the municipality, where
government, commercial and religious services are concentrated. There are, however, other sets that
can serve as the center of a community: a village, a missionary post, a large sawmill, a chestnut or
rubber shed, a mining area, where connected to these centers are a series of groups. humans, who

2. are an integral part of the community, such as a village or town, houses scattered along a river, a
stream, a road, or on a large property or farm, or even an agricultural colony.
Residents of these neighborhoods maintain constant and intimate relationships and still have a
strong sense of solidarity or group. Each grouping of these constitutes an easily distinguishable
subunit and its inhabitants maintain links with the urban center of the community and, for this
very reason, are interrelated with the others, and today, the vehicles of mass communication, such
as radio and television, have already reached these groups, thus ending their cultural isolation. It is
only in the present day that the study of popular culture is no longer carried out by
non-professionals and amateurs, who aimed to describe the exotic, the strange, the extravagant and
to escape the context of the so-called "western civilization", to be carried out under rigorously
scientific criteria, that is, where the investigation of the popular event is carried out as the object of
a research project, sponsored by a Science Institution and carried out Western", to be carried out
under rigorously scientific criteria, that is, where the investigation of the popular event is carried
out as an object of a research project, sponsored by a Science Institution and carried out by a
professional in social science. Contemporary approaches show that popular culture does not
constitute a watertight and compartmentalized form of knowledge but a set of symbolic
representations that, in stratified societies, characterizes a layer of the population that does not have
full access to erudite culture new knowledge and is also not a patchwork of disconnected
fragments, which emerge from the past by cultural inertia.
As Eunice Durham rightly says, Folklore "constitutes a system of representations -- customs,
traditions, beliefs, myths, and forms of artistic expression -- that express a particular way of life, a
means of interpreting social reality and the geographical environment, ordering life in society, and
of expressing the basic values ​
​
of culture. The elements of the past only persist insofar as they can
express present realities and are only conserved as long as they are integrated into systems.” Walcyr
Monteiro's book -- Visagens e Assombrações de Belém -- is an example of what we have said above.
The result of long fieldwork, organized under a scientific methodology, without trying to
"hammer" the empirical data to fit them into the methodological systematics, fundamentally shows
the permanence of fantastic stories in the magical mentality of segments of the population of
Belém. Dividing his monograph into five parts: a collection of tales related to visions and
hauntings; the description of the Cult of Souls; the historical, political, and economic study of the

3. research area (Belém); the analysis of the recorded events and the conclusions reached by the
author, who never strays from the dominant expressions of regional experience: the mastery of the
water and the rainforest.
It is not surprising for us to write this book, as we have known Walcyr Monteiro since the time he
was a student at the extinct Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences, and Letters of the Federal University of
Pará, at the Social Sciences Course, and we have followed his intellectual trajectory as a professor
and researcher. Profoundly honest and of unusual scientific seriousness, despite not being
published, this monograph has served as bibliographic support for several essays on aspects of
popular religiosity on Amazon.
It is an excellent contribution to one of the richest and most fascinating themes of Amazonian
folklore, which are the Beliefs and Superstitions, still found today, not only in the interior of the
region but also in the metropolitan space of the Amazon area.
Napoleon Figueiredo
Researcher at the Emílio Goeldi Museum
Presentation
(3rd edition - 2000)

4. "Belém, *civilized* city, does not escape the fascination of the supernatural. There is no boy who
fails to hear fantastic stories, transmitted by the nannies, maids, usually people from the
countryside of the State, where the oral tradition of these legends survives, intensely. even under
the impact of other cultural values that are manifested in the city today, a consequence of the
approximation in geographic space and social time with peoples and institutions, approaches made
by plane, radio, television, newspaper -- supernatural stories still linger in the minds of the people".
(Leandro Tocantins, to Santa Maria de Belém do Grão Pará).
The present work has followed a long path. When I started publishing stories of visagem1
and
hauntings of Belém, in 1972, in the newspaper "A Província do Pará", I aimed only at the
preservation of a cultural trait that was doomed to disappear. Public acceptance was very large,
which can be seen from the letters received, either stimulating, either with the narration of new
cases or finally suggesting the gathering of the stories in a book. And that's what I wanted to do:
gather the stories in a single publication, allowing the younger ones to get to know and the older
ones to remember what was told and transmitted orally.
It was up to Professor Napoleão Figueiredo, holder of Anthropology Cultural at UFPA and
researcher at the Emílio Goeldi Museum, to encourage me to expand the work, with an
interpretative part, and, after, to collaborate, either by placing their private library at our disposal or
with criticism and suggestions, not being responsible for the possible flaws or omissions or even
concepts issued by the author.
It is possible, therefore, to notice two different styles throughout the present work: the first,
narrative and which concerns the stories themselves said, and which constitutes the first part of the
work; the second, which ranges from the description of the Cult of Souls to the conclusions,
already seeks to be more interpretive and, consequently, more "dry".
Completed in 1972, it was only published in 1986, thanks to the then Secretary of State for
Culture, Sports and Tourism, Acyr Castro, to whom I reiterate thanks. Again, it received popular
acceptance, causing the edition to quickly sell out. Texts from the "visagens" or the book itself were
used by university and elementary and high school teachers, as well as republished by other
newspapers. And requests came for a 2nd edition, which was published by Cejup (read Gengis
Freire) in 1993 from 1998 and also sold out. It was my thought to update the data related mainly to
the District of Belém, the research area. However, for both the 2nd and the present edition,
numerous people requested that there were no changes, under the justification that, keeping the
data initially published, I would be maintaining the "image", the portrait of Belém from the early
70s. I accepted the suggestion and there are few changes made in this 3rd edition, mostly of a
1
Visagem: Ghost or apparition of a dead person.

5. revising character in relation to existing flaws in previous editions, since the author did not revise
them, although it appears otherwise.
Well, let's get to the work itself, which has the objective of the study of beliefs in visages and
hauntings, as well as the Cult of Souls, considered miraculous by the people of Belém do Pará.
The collection of the stories was carried out from 1969 to 1972, although some of the stories were
heard during the author's childhood. Dozens and dozens of tales were gathered, selecting 25 of the
most representative ones.
The research on the Cult of Souls was carried out from 1971 to 1972. The photos are also taken by
the author, but two of them are related to the Cult of Souls in Umbanda, provided by Professor
Arthur Napoleão Figueiredo, and two others by photographer Ary Souza. Those that are not mine
will be indicated.
The work is divided into five parts: the first is the collection of tales relating to visions and
hauntings; the second is the description of the Cult of Souls; the third is the object of research
(District of Belém), in which a historical synthesis is made and its political-economic importance in
the Amazon Region is shown (relative to 1972); the fourth constitutes a first approach to the
interpretation of phenomena; and the fifth, the conclusions reached by the author. To these are
added a photographic documentary and annexes related to the Cult of Souls and newspaper notes.
Although there is a vast bibliography on Amazonian myths and beliefs, works with delimited areas
only exist (or rather, they only existed in 1972) practically two: that of Eduardo Galvão (Saints and
Visagens) in Itá, and that of Napoleão Figueiredo and Anaíza Vergolino e Silva (Feast of Saints and
Enchanted) in Upper Cairo. These served as the author's basis for making correlations with the
beliefs found in Belém.
The author is grateful to all informants and people who contributed directly or indirectly and very
particularly to Mrs. Maria das Thanks to Carmona Marques and Misses Olga Gatti and Arietti
Araújo. Who typed the originals, Olavo Santana, who designed the maps and João Carlos Gama,
who redesigned them, Cláudio Augusto Sá Leal, secretary of "A Província do Pará" (at the time the
work was completed), and José Maria Moraes, laboratory technician of the same newspaper, for
developing and copying the photographs, to Professor Arthur Napoleão Figueiredo, already
mentioned and to whom I pay my posthumous tributes, for the much he helped me and for the
great contribution he made to Pará and Amazonian cultures, mainly in the field of Cultural
Anthropology.
I would also like to thank the designers João Bento (cover illustration) and Márcio Pinho (internal
illustrations), Augusto Henrique (typing and editing), Paulo Corrêa, who helped with the review,
and Banco da Amazônia S.A. -- Basa, through its president Flora Valladares Coelho, who sponsored
this 3rd edition of Visagens e Hauntings of Bethlehem.

6. Oh! I could not fail to mention that the book served as a theme for the Associação Carnavalesca
Mocidade Botafoguense in 1998, this runner-up; was a research source for the film Lendas
Amazônicas; he was used as a textbook in numerous schools, lending itself to various school
activities were also broadcast and used to theatrical performances, by amateurs and professionals.
For all this, very thank you, and, mainly, to you, who reads and disseminates this work and, with
him, our Amazonian Culture.
Walcyr Monteiro
Belém - 1972
Any neighborhood. The conversation continued lively in front of the home. The young people's
parents had left and they took the opportunity to gather the entire neighborhood in front of them.
Chairs had been placed, and those who could not get them made the wall as a seat, which, being
low, suited it for this purpose; others even sat on the floor, and the conversation went from the next
tests to the June court, which was already close. The dialogues clashed and, boys and girls, each one
trying to draw attention to themselves, sometimes spoke of high or low averages in this or that
subject, sometimes in the
costume to debut at the rustic festivals of Santo Antônio, São João, or São Pedro.
Suddenly, Ana Maria needs to go "in there". Sônia, who is from the house companies. Both enter.
At the door, the conversation continues lively.
Suddenly, the scream! Everyone gets up, runs, and gets excited.
AND then comes the explanation: -- As I was leaving the "little house", I saw a figure that seemed to
be coming towards me...
-- Why, it was your impression! says Gustavo, the bravest of the gang.
-- It was nothing! Yes, I've seen that! It looked like it wanted to grab me...

7. -- It was nothing, no... -- Look, says Paulo, the oldest neighborhood resident says the house was
haunted. You know if...
-- Leave it alone. It was the impression of Ana, who is fearful by nature...
-- No! Does he know? Once, at home, the light went out by itself.
I thought it was a faulty switch, but nothing! He was even haunting!
-- That's why we should always pray for the lost souls. That way they rest in peace and don't look
around.
-- Mom, every Monday, she goes to the Soledade Cemetery to make the novena of souls. Anything
she wants, she gets! She has faith in Raimundinha
Shrike...
-- But look! Have you heard the story of Matinta Perera2
do
Camping?
-- More of this one, now! Where have you seen yourself? Speaking of Matinta Perera in the
countryside, still, go there. But here in Bethlehem...
- There really is, see? Listen there...
And the narration of a series of stories of visions and hauntings begins throughout the city of Santa
Maria de Belém do Grão-Pará. The fact, generated in a family conversation in front of a house,
could also be on a corner, during a conversation about football, or in a bar, ingesting a few doses of
sugar cane with lemon, enjoying a fried fish, usually a pratiqueira...
Let's follow the stories that are told...
Let's hear them!
2
Character of Brazilian folklore, more precisely in the Northern Region of the country. Old witch who turns into a
bird of ill omen that scares the residents of small villages.

9. The Ghost of Soledade3
He stopped the car on Serzedelo Corrêa Avenue, in front of the Kennedy School. He jumped in to
deliver the package. When he returned, he looked at his watch: 5:30 pm. He thought there was half
an hour left to finish the day. If you don't develop a lot of speed, you'll see that I'll arrive just in time
to hit the clock. As he was about to get in the car-an old jeep from the office-he noticed a
"psssssssssiu". He looked around and said nothing. Again: - Psssssssss!
He looked back. He noticed that the call came from across the street, more precisely from the door
of the Cemitério da Soledade. There, right in front of the door, was a woman looking to be in her
mid-30s. When her eyes met, he looked back and forth and behind himself, thinking the call was
addressed to someone else. He looked again at the woman, and the woman, pointing with her
finger, hinted that it was the man who was calling. At a glance, he saw the clock, thinking: - But just
now!
He quickly crossed the street.
- Are you calling me?
-- Yes, I am. I need your assistance.
-- And how can I help you?
-- Here's the thing: I'm not from Belém. I came here to spend a few days and I wanted to see the
tomb of my grandparents who are buried in this cemetery. But I have to admit, I was afraid to go in
alone. It's already a little late, and the cemetery is deserted. Would you do me the great favor of
escorting me inside?
Annoyed, thinking that the workday was coming to an end - Flávio
was in a hurry to get home - and he would still have to
took a while, he took a while to respond. He reflected and, since the woman was not from Belém
and would not be well not to be hospitable, he ended up agreeing to accompany her.
- And do you know where the tomb is?
- No, I don't know. His name was so-and-so. If it's not too much
inconvenience to you, we will look into it. After all, the cemetery isn't that big!
Immediately afterward, they proceeded to the left-wing, seeing and examining the graves, looking
for the name the woman had given as her grandfather's. And in the search, they covered the entire
cemetery. In some tombs they lingered for a while, such as that of General Gurjão, that of Preta
Domingas, that of Menino Cícero, that of Raimundinha Picanço. The woman asked who they
were, and Flávio explained that the first one had
hero in the Paraguayan War, and the other three were considered
miracles for the people, to whom they worshiped on Mondays, asking
3
Soledade has a neoclassical style and is a public necropolis founded in 1850, due to a yellow fever epidemic in the 19th
century. The cemetery houses a wide historical collection of tombstones and chapels, and it will soon be transformed
into an urban park.

10. thanks. The woman didn't seem to want to leave there anymore, and Flávio, already
regret having been hospitable and chivalrous, just
thought about leaving.
- But what the hell! he thought - he got it right with me. so many people in this
city ​
​
and I would have to be passing there at that moment. I hope
She'll think soon, I'm leaving. However, the search ended and it wasn't
found the grave of the woman's grandparents.
Satisfied, thinking he was leaving, Flávio said:
-- IT'S. Looks like it's not here, no. Naturally, you were misinformed. He must
be there in Santa Isabel. You will naturally look for it tomorrow.
- No, I wasn't wrong, no. Just maybe not buried in a tomb and yes, his bones are in a funeral urn.
Where will they keep them?
- Frankly, I don't know.
"Look, maybe it's over there," said the woman, pointing to the side wing to the right.
Cemetery Chapel. Just one more minute, okay?
- Yes, but I can't stay long. My office hours are already
finished and I must hit the time clock.
- It's just a minute...
And they went to the room where the funerary urns were kept.
They entered. Twilight time, almost nothing else was seen in the room. Even so, the
The woman, always calling Flávio, went to the back. The man followed her. He looked at a certain
urn and said: - Looks like this is it. Come see.
Flávio went, thanking God for having finished that via Crucis behind the
bones of the deceased that he had not met nor heard of.
After all, with 51 years on the side, even being a professional driver, it was the first time he saw
himself in that situation.
When he was near the urn, trying to read the name inscribed on the
superior, she approached him, until almost all the bodies were glued together. AND,
unexpectedly, she hugged him and began to grope him, at the same time
she tried to kiss him...
-- My dear...
Caught thus, by surprise, in that place at once sacred and sepulchral,
Flavio didn't know what to think.
--... I'm 51 years old... sooner with me...? ... I'm not handsome...
what...? ...right here...? ...is she crazy...? ... why...? ...
then I... why here...? ... So many young men out there... why...? ...
So many places to make love... right here...!

11. In a flash, he thought all these things, as he was groped by all parts of his body, especially his sex.
Quickly recovering, Flávio pushed her violently...
-- But what is this? At least respect the place...
He jumped back, looking for the door. Upon reaching her, with his back turned, he sought to see
the woman... To his astonishment, as if she were smoking, she had disappeared...
Only the funerary urns remained in their places on the shelves and...nothing else...
Flávio shouted, at the same time he was looking for the exit gate. He ran looking back...but useless!
Nobody followed him; the woman had really disappeared.
Nervous, he took the jeep. But he couldn't control his movements. He waited a few minutes, and as
soon as he could, he took off, printing this speed in the jeep that quickly arrived at the job site.
The late employees who were there saw a Flávio arrive unrecognizable, without the usual serenity,
without the usual calm voice.
Flávio tried to say everything at once, wanting to tell his companions what had happened...
The next day, Flávio didn't go to work. Not the other. nor in what the
followed. They looked for news from family members. And then they knew...
He had been hospitalized for three days at the Hospital da Beneficente Portuguesa. With a high
fever... Delirious... Saying strange things... that a woman's ghost wanted to love him inside the
Soledade Cemetery…

12. Supernatural engagement
Pedro walked slowly through the night. The events of that day had not been pleasant: in addition
to losing his job, after a violent argument with his boss, he had also ended his relationship with
Leticia.
It was not, therefore, without reason that he was completely devastated, plunged into deep
melancholy, even depressed.
In his morbid state, he could not get out of his mind the harsh words exchanged with Seu Gastão,
followed by "you can do your math", which alternated the meeting with Letícia, head down,
escaping her gaze, saying "it won't work" .
In this state, Pedro walked aimlessly for a long time. He passed people without seeing them,
sometimes tripping over potholes or simply bumping into the sidewalks of the garages, at a level
slightly higher than the pavement, releasing, at these moments, pornographic exclamations.
You can do your math... it won't work... you can do your math... it won't work... you can...
-- Yeah, people really don't want to believe in these things, well they say it's nonsense and people's
belief. However, two misfortunes were to happen just today, Friday in August. It's a lot of
coincidence together. And my horoscope said "Be careful with today. Tense relationships in the
workplace, there may be arguments with superiors. In love, shudders with the loved one. Avoid
encounters with strangers or strangers. Be very careful and postpone decisions." But I didn't decide
anything. They decided on my place and I received two blue tickets: from the boss and the
girlfriend. What a more ominous day.
And Pedro thought about the love affair with his tender Leticia, about her kisses, her caresses... In
fact, he couldn't understand how that relationship of more than 2 years, with a date set for the
engagement, could end so abruptly. He wasn't so upset about being fired, but with the breakup, he
wasn't satisfied. And he asked himself "Why, Leticia, why?".
Blocks after blocks, and Pedro didn't notice. In your
depression, he didn't notice the weather starting to change. The moon had been covered by dark
clouds and stars were no longer visible in the sky. A cold wind, announcing that heavy rain would
fall on the city, hit Pedro's face, without him agreeing.
Suddenly, as if he had woken up, he noticed that he was
quite far from your home. He looked around and at the sky, feeling sick. He didn't know what
neighborhood he was in.
He was aware only of the rain that would fall and that he would have to leave the
As soon.
As he walked away, his discomfort increased: it was not common, it was something indescribable,
which made every hair on his body stand on end. Pedro smiled bitterly when his fingers, in the

13. pocket on the left side of his pants, touched the two rings he had taken with him, for Leticia to try
it on. But she hadn't given him that satisfaction or even the opportunity to take them off.
Lightning streaked across the sky, followed by deafening thunder. When the electric sparks
appeared, Pedro had a glimpse of the trees and vegetation of the neighboring houses, which made
his discomfort increase. He was about to speed up his pace when he felt himself observed. He
stopped. He looked around and didn't
saw no one.
- Decidedly, today is not my day, he thought.
Suddenly, as if he had come out of nowhere, he heard that Argentine voice: - Good night.
Startled, Pedro turned around. There, where he had looked before and seen nothing, was a young
woman.
-- Bo... good night!
-- You look like you're very sad and scared. However, I don't think a boy like you is afraid of a girl.
-- No! It's not fear! I just looked over there and didn't see you.
- I've been watching him for some time now. You didn't see me because I was behind the tree.
Lightning followed by thunder continued and a fine rain began to fall.
Pedro was not very interested in that conversation. But the girl involved in such a way that she
didn't know how to say goodbye. And he was invited by her to her house. He thought for a
moment before answering. Later, he found that he didn't know where he was and decided to accept
the invitation, even if it was just to pass the rain.
They walked side by side, their hands brushed and it was enough for Pedro to hold hers, with the
girl's full consent. In fact, the conversation had diverted Pedro's thoughts from his former job and
also from his ex-girlfriend.
He had begun to look at the girl: light brunette, black hair, brown eyes, she was softly beautiful.
She showed to have a strong personality and her voice was one of the things that pleased him the
most. She didn't have any appearance of being adventurous, on the contrary, she was of fine
education and seemed the image of purity.
Finally, they arrived at the house. Barely entered, violent rain,
characteristic of the equatorial regions, it collapsed on Belém. Lightning and thunder continued,
and Pedro, looking through the windows, found, more than ever, that dismal night.
- And your parents? he asked.
- Don't worry, they're not here.
- But... are you alone?
- That's what it looks like, isn't it?
They sat on the sofa, hands clasped. Pedro, although better, was still uneasy. Despite the girl's
affection, the treatment he was receiving, the impression he felt was the same as in nightmares. The
storm was now more violent, and gusts of wind brought
thick drops of rain against the window panes.

14. Provoked by the girl, Pedro told of his misadventures. The girl was nurturing him, encouraging
him. After all, Leticia was not the only girl on the face of the earth, as was the job she had lost. And
"God writes straight with crooked lines."
Naturally, she would find a new girlfriend and better jobs.
-- And you, asked Pedro, have you ever had a heartbreak?
-- I? Well, I didn't know what it was like to love...
-- Huh? Didn't know?
-- I mean... I still don't know what love is...
The verb tense used by the girl, who at this point Pedro already knew was called Maria de Souza
Oliveira, made the boy feel uncomfortable. He now felt the girl as if he were a magnet, one of those
employed in children's toys, which sometimes attract, sometimes repel.
While he was attracted to Maria, he thought he should walk away, although he apparently had no
reason to. After all, Maria was so sweet...
And this sweetness made him accept her invitation to sleep.
About 11:30 am. As he went to Maria's room, the rain increased its strength. It looked like a real
storm. Thunder upon thunder shook the house.
They lay down together and the proximity of the bodies made them
intertwine. With all the restlessness he felt, Pedro desired her...
- After all, I can say that I already loved... said Maria.
- But you... were you... a virgin?
- Well said: it was because now I'm not
more...
Maria looked like the happiest woman in the world. Pedro was astonished. You
Friday's events culminated unexpectedly...
He remembered the rings he had in his pocket. He took them off.
- Look... I want you to accept it as our betrothal. We'll get married as soon as I get a new job.
Maria smiled, putting the ring on her right ring, and took out a small ring with a stone, giving it to
the boy.
- Keep it as a souvenir of mine. It's so you don't forget about me.
The boy put the ring on his little finger. Maria kissed him: You made me
I'm very happy. I hope I did too. I wouldn't want to, even unintentionally, do you the least harm.
Pedro responded to the kiss, finding it strange, however, that the words of
Maria. But it was exchanging vows of love that they fell asleep holding each other. Pedro saved
Maria's last sentence.
- I will never forget you...
Outside, the cold wind blew violently, making the downpour
sweep roofs and walls of houses. In the air, lightning, and thunder...

15. Pedro stirred. He found it strange. The mattress on the bed, so soft and warm, felt hard and icy.
With his hands, he looked for Maria and only found the vacuum.
Sleepily, he opened his eyes. And he saw the open field full of crosses. It was in the Santa Izabel
Cemetery. Horrified, filled with dread, he saw where he was: on top of a grave. He looked at the
cross. There was a whitish but perfectly recognizable portrait of Maria de Souza Oliveira, light
brunette, black hair, brown eyes...
"born February 3, 1902, died August 13, 1918".
Without being able to think, he saw that at the bottom of the cross was the ring he had given her as
an engagement ring. On his little finger, the ring the girl had given him...
And at 6 a.m on Saturday, those in the vicinity of the Cemetery would have heard that freezing cry
of terror. It was from Pedro. Who ran out of the Cemetery…

16. The Taxi Girl
About 10:00 p.m.
Raimundo was driving along Avenida Independência towards Largo de Nazaré (Justo Chermont
Square). Almost on reaching the 14 de Março street, a young woman hailed a taxi. Raimundo
stopped.
-- Please, drop me off on José Bonifácio Avenue, opposite the Santa Izabel Cemetery.
The driver proceeded to the given address. Upon arrival, the girl said: - I'm out of change. But you,
please, collect tomorrow at this address.
She handed a piece of paper to Raimundo, on which her name was written down, with: Avenida
Nazaré, n° ... casa do Senhor so-and-so. Somewhat annoyed, the driver took the paper offered to
him.
-- But today, the income is low, he thought!
Avenida José Bonifácio almost deserted.
After leaving a passenger, Walter was heading towards Largo de São Braz.
Up ahead, in front of the Cemetery's main gate, the girl waved.
Entering the vehicle, she asked:
-- Please take me to Avenida Nazaré, on the perimeter between Quintino Bocaiúva and Rui
Barbosa.
Upon being dropped off at her destination, she requested:
-- Tomorrow you will charge here in this house, with Mr. and so-and-so. Say the race was your
daughter's.
The car was speeding along São Jerônimo (Avenida Governador José Malcher), near Benjamin
Constant lane. A young woman, standing by a mango tree, made the sign almost overhead. The
driver parked. He was ordered to take her to the Santa Izabel Cemetery. On arriving there, the
requested to collect the fare the next day, at the house in front of which he had picked up the
vehicle.
Taking a taxi on José Bonifácio Avenue, she asked to be taken to Dr. Assisi, in the Old Town
district.
And the same story as the previous narratives was repeated: she sent the
driver to collect the next day, at the place where it was left.
Any day of the year. But always a certain date. The girl signals for the taxi, usually with four doors,
sitting in the back. She asks the driver to go to the Old Town neighborhood. She asks to go slowly
along Largo da Sé (Praça Frei Caetano Brandão); she circles Largo do Carmo, insists on going to
Porto do Sal, then heads to the Arsenal de Marinha, always asking for an idle speed.
The driver, a little annoyed, asks:
- But, after all, where do you want to stay?

17. - I'll tell you later. Don't be mad at me, please. You will then charge as much as you want. I'm not
going anywhere right now. I'm just strolling. He knows? Today is my birthday, and every year my
father gives me a taxi ride around town. He will pay what you ask.
- After all, everything is possible, thought the man. And he accompanied that tourist in his city,
doing forced tourism himself. After the Old Town, other neighborhoods followed. The girl took a
long look at the blocks, the houses, making observations.
-- This building is new... Right here there was a soccer field, where the kids played. But how is
Avenida Pedro Miranda! I almost don't recognize her...! ... Just imagine... who would say that this is
Avenida Duque de Caxias? Until recently it was a
undergrowth... Ah! the old Bosque Rodrigues Alves... never changes... Terra Firme is a new
neighborhood, isn't it?... What huge groups are doing in Marambaia and on Augusto Montenegro
road. If there was talk of living in these parts for some time, they would even say that one was crazy.
And now, right?
He knows? In the past, I liked to go for a walk at night, in the June square. The neighborhoods of
Marco and Pedreira are beautiful, full of bonfires in all the streets and alleys... And the caipira
parties? It's not even good to talk... Do they still make that huge bonfire there in Largo da Côndor
(Praça Princesa Izabel) on Saint John's Day?
And as if she only went out once a year, the girl recounted the changes in the various
neighborhoods of Belém. After having gone through them, she asked to be dropped off in the
Santa Izabel neighborhood.
- You can leave me here. Now I'm going to walk a little. Thank you so much for everything,
especially for your patience with me.
- Very well, girl. Happy Birthday. But... what about the race?
- Oh! Yes, sorry, I was forgetting.
Copper with my father, at this address. Tell him it's my gift from
birthday! Thank you so much again. So long.
- Raimundo - or Walter, or Augusto, or José, or whatever the
driver -- always counts the same outcome for the race charge.
This does not matter if the girl is dropped off at the Santa Izabel Cemetery at night, as in the
opposite case, that is, if she takes the car there and then stays on one of the aforementioned streets
(Avenida São Jerônimo, Avenida Nazaré or Dr. Assis Street), as well as, during the day, on the taxi
ride around the city, as a birthday present...
Let's follow the end of the story!
The next day, in the morning, the driver went to the address given by the
girl.
- Good Morning! Does Mr so-and-so live here?
- Good Morning! Yes, it does. What do you want?

18. - I came to collect a race...
- ???!
- I came to collect a cab ride from his daughter.
- But he doesn't have a daughter, or rather we don't, because I'm his wife.
- It's not possible!
- Well, I don't have to lie to you...
- But yesterday a girl like this, like that, ran all over town in my car and
she ordered a charge here, claiming to be the daughter of so-and-so and that the ride was her
birthday present (or it refers to the house-cemetery race or
vice versa)
The lady pales.
- Look, I told you we don't have daughters...
At that moment, through the half-open door, the driver notices the portrait of a
girl. And pointing to it, he says:
- The girl is that one over there!
The lady breaks into sobs.
- It's not possible... that girl was our daughter... But she's been dead for so long... And indeed, her
father used to give her a taxi ride around town as a gift.
The driver starts to get nervous.
He was no longer even interested in charging the race. Just want to clarify whether the girl who
took your car was alive or not.
The case is solved by the arrival of the husband, who claims the girl's death, offering to take him to
the Cemetery. And there, he shows the tomb, where the driver sees a portrait just like the one in the
house…
This story, which is one of the most publicized in Belém, has several
versions:
1 - Regarding the girl's residence: there are variations, however, the two neighborhoods
predominate, Nazaré and Cidade Velha. In the latter, the street on which the house is located is Dr.
Assisi; in the first, two streets are indicated: the São Jerônimo and Nazaré avenues, also varying the
perimeter. However, for either of the two avenues, it would always be located between the
alternatives that are placed between the 14 de Março and Benjamin Constant streets;
2 - Regarding the occupation of the vehicle: either it is used to go around the city, and, in this case,
usually during the day, or it is taken in front of the Santa Izabel Cemetery to drive the girl to the
residence or the opposite, that is, takes the car in front of the house and asks to be taken to the
Cemetery;

19. 3 - Regarding the charge for the race: the girl's parents were only surprised the first time the case
happened; from then on, when any driver goes to collect the bill, they pay calmly, only referring to
the fact that the girl has already died and ask for prayers for her peace;
4 - About the driver's reaction: according to one version, he took it naturally; according to another,
he was affected by a severe nervous crisis, requiring hospitalization, after which he was discharged,
leaving perfectly recovered; according to a third, he died at the Juliano Moreira Hospital,
completely insane.
The informants of this story were several taxi drivers and more
Mr. Walter de Souza Moreira.

20. Macabre bet
At the bar, the conversation was lively. One and the other were ingested, while the boys told of their
bravado. In between, a discussion about courage arises, each one advocating for himself to possess
this virtue more than the others. João excels in telling cases in which his courage was put to the test
and he was never afraid. He had taken part in street fights, often with larger numbers of opponents,
and had toured the Amazon jungle in places reputed to be delighted he had challenged Matinta
Perera, Curupira, Mapinguari, Yara, in short, almost all the Amazon elves, and nothing had
happened to him.
He had taken risky trips and even played Russian roulette. Faced with so many facts confirming
João's boldness, a test was proposed: if he accepted and did well, he would be known by everyone as
the most courageous of the group; otherwise, all the cases he had told would be seen as hoaxes.
Placed against the wall in this way, John had no recourse but to accept the test to which he was to
be subjected.
-- And what do you want me to do?
-- Before being told, let's close a bet. If you lose, you'll buy half a dozen beers. If you win, we'll pay
half a dozen to
you. Closed?
-- I can't close it until I know what it is.
"It will be nothing impossible for a man with the courage you show."

21. If you don't close soon, it's because from now on you're already feeling afraid.
-- Not at all. But if I'm going to bet, I must know what it's about. Or do you want me to close the
deal in the dark?
-- Well, if you don't accept it, it will be proof that you really don't have
courage and you were blatantly lying.
-- You're not calling him a liar, no. No offense, because then things change.
-- Calm, calm! We're not here to fight. Tell me right away, Zeca, what João should do. If he accepts,
the bet is automatically closed.
Otherwise, nothing more needs to be said.
-- Well, said Zeca, addressing João, you should go at midnight, on a Friday to the Cemetery. Do you
or don't you?
-- But... right in the Cemetery?
-- I did not say? I did not say? It was enough to talk about Cemetery and the "courageous" have
already lost all courage...
- It's not that... it's just that I've always respected the dead. look at my mother
make the novena of souls. It is not very fair for us to go and disturb those who
died.
- Confess at once that courage is lacking and we will be satisfied.
But it doesn't come with this wave of respect for the dead, in the novena for souls, which doesn't
"glue". After all, you will not disrespect anyone, nor desecrate graves. You will only pay a visit to the
site.
-- I don't know... It's not fear, I can assure you! But... you know how it is, right?
- Yes, we know! Now if we know! So the man who has already faced all the "enchanted ones" of the
Amazon with fear of going to a simple Cemetery! Where has he seen himself?
- Come here, and why don't you go?
- I'm afraid, I confess. At least I'm not "burping breath" on top of others. And don't turn the thing
on me, no, it's up to you. Don't try to discard yourself. Is it taking it or leaving it? There's no
middle ground.
Others agreed that John wanted to get out of the bet and continued to "wind up", until John, in a
rapture, said:
- Well - God forgive me -- I'm going to the Cemetery at midnight next Friday. You will see that this
really doesn't scare me. It was just a matter of respect.
From there, they worked out the details: João should take a piece of wood, where would be the
names of all participants in the bet? Friends of his, at 11:30 p.m., would accompany him to the
vicinity of the Cemetery and then they would leave him alone. He should jump over the wall and
head to the middle of Campo Santo, bury the wood in a grave, and return. He would meet up with
his friends on Saturday morning at 7 a.m. and drive them to the spot where he had placed the
landmark that would be identified by the others. If he did everything right, he would win the bet.

22. This was on a Saturday. He spent the rest of the week, started the other one and the small group
only talked about the bet with João.
Finally Friday.
- It's today, huh!
The group of boys provided a piece of wood on which each one wrote his own name.
At night, at the agreed place, everyone was already gathered and only João was missing. They
consulted their watches and made the most diverse comments.
- You're thinking that courage is hunger, huh?
- Definitely not coming. All he has is mouth breath and parrot feet.
Shutting them up, João appears, a little pale, with a cloak wrapped around his shoulders.
shoulders.
-- Hey!
-- We thought you weren't coming anymore.
- It's just that I'm not feeling well.
- Right, right. Tomorrow you buy half a dozen beers... and endure the
enjoyment of the class.
-- No sir. Said I wasn't feeling well, but I will. Where is the wood with your name?
-- It's here!
-- Come here, why this cape?
-- It's just that it can rain and a man forewarned is worth two.
They walked until they reached the outskirts of the Santa Izabel cemetery. There, they said
goodbye, arranging a new meeting in the same place, at 7 am the next day.
João left for Campo Santo.
From where they were, his companions followed him with their eyes. They saw him approach the
wall, look this way and that to make sure no one was coming. In one leap, he reached the top of the
wall, pulling himself up, then leaping into the Cemetery.
-- He really did!
The boys returned to their homes. As they walked, the 12 chimes sounded, marking midnight on
Friday.
Saturday.
The morning was cheerful, unlike the rainy mornings of the winter quarter. The boys arrived at the
meeting place and, when they were all there,
They were just waiting for John. This one took a while to arrive.
-- Always late.
-- Did he really go?
-- Well, we saw him jump into the Cemetery.
- He could have come back.

23. The comments continued and time passed.
7:30 a.m.
8:00 a.m.
8:30 a.m.
Subject already exhausted, the boys thought that maybe João had stayed asleep or, simply, because
he had come back and lost the bet, he didn't want to face his friends.
They decided to go to the Cemetery, where they would at least make sure whether or not João had
put the wood in the grave.
They entered. There was a certain movement: some isolated people visited missing loved ones and
there was also a burial.
They walked towards the middle of the Cemetery. After turning around for a while, one of the
boys gave a cry of terror, while looking in a certain direction. The companions followed his gaze.
On top of a tomb, Joao was dead, his eyes bulging with fear, seeming to reprimand them. Next to
it, the piece of wood, with his name on it, buried in the ground... The tip of his cape was stuck in a
plant...
After a series of lengthy explanations, including to the Police, who were called to the scene, where
the bet and its details were narrated, João's body was taken for autopsy. The coroner certified heart
failure. And they were looking for a reason for the boy's death...
Despite rational explanations, the boys did not accept them, they tried to imagine the boy at
midnight, among the graves, being grabbed by spectral beings for having defied the dead.
They were terrified just thinking about the scene and felt guilty for their friend's death. They
commented:
-- A bad joke. It was the same as if we killed him. Send him to the Cemetery at midnight and then
on a Friday...!

24. The cult of souls
Who passes, on Mondays, in front of the Cemeteries, in Belém, checks for unusual movement;
dozens and dozens of people, at all times, arrive or leave; thousands of candles are lit in different
graves -- it's the Cult of Souls.
With each passing day, the cult increases considerably the number of adepts and it boils down to
the following: the person who wants to obtain a grace must visit the Cemetery for nine Mondays
and pray a rosary, with two-thirds being said first, then the Prayer of Souls, when grace is asked,
and, finally, the last third of the rosary. Worship can be addressed to souls in general or to a
particular since for some there are individual prayers, which we will see later.
The Worship is performed by people of all social levels, from simple odd jobs and humble workers
to industrialists and politicians.
The causes that lead people to carry out the Worship are as varied as possible; requests for marriage
(always from a female element; for this purpose, we did not find any request from a man), solving
domestic problems, solving financial problems, requests for employment, requests to pass the
entrance exams for the University or simply to pass series at any level of education, or even by
destroying rivals, adversaries or enemies.
The most sought after cemeteries are those of Soledade, located on Avenida Serzedelo Corrêa,
between Avenida Gentil Bittencourt and Avenida Conselheiro Furtado, and Santa Izabel, located
on Avenida José Bonifácio, between Rua dos Mundurucus and Rua Paes de Souza.
The Soledade Cemetery (which is the oldest in the city) has the most movement, and the Culto das
Almas has the greatest manifestations of faith.

25. Most miraculous souls
In each of these two cemeteries, there are graves that are most sought after. At the Soledade
Cemetery, the ones that are most popular are the tombs of Raimundinha Picanço, Preta Domingas
and Menino Cícero. Our informant, J.M.C., administrator of the Soledade cemetery, informs that
Raimundinha Picanço would have been poisoned by her brothers and stepmother. We were unable
to verify the veracity of the information.
In the 1930s, some boys were playing in the Cemetery, next to Raimundinha's grave, when her
spirit appeared, calling one of them. The boy was "astonished", having a lot of fever, being cured
before the invocation of the name of Raimundinha Picanço; henceforth miracles follow one
another. In her tomb, apart from the inscription of an offering made by a devotee, nothing is said
about the year of her birth or death. The inscription is as follows:
Raimundinha Picanço
with the greatest affection
I offer you
this grave
in thanks
to countless
Miracles
received by you
(unreadable)

26. Preta Domingas was a slave who lived in the last century. Kind and tender, she raised with extreme
affection a boy who had been entrusted to her. Years later, she died, and the boy she raised, then
made a man, had a tomb built for her. Invoked by afflicted people, they saw their requests fulfilled,
and then their Cult began. On her tombstone is engraved:
here lie
the remains
by Preta Domingas
died in
March 25, 1871
Signs of gratitude
Cicero lived only 4 years, 7 months, and 3 days, in the third quarter of the last century. It also
became miraculous when invoked by people in distress.
It reads on his grave:
To the innocent Cicero
your inconsolable parents
legitimate son of
Lindolfo José Burle
and by Guilhermina Burle
N. on September 19, 1867
F. on April 27, 1872
Severa Romana was married to soldier Pedro Cavalcante de Oliveira. He opened the doors of his
home to Corporal Antonio Ferreira dos Santos so that he could have his meals there. The corporal
fell in love with Severa, making statements to her. He was repelled. One day when Private Pedro
was on duty, the corporal returned to attack. Again repelled, he struck her with the razor, killing
her. The crime took place on July 2, 1900, and dismayed the population of the time, who had a
tomb erected (which suffered the action of time, being later rebuilt) with the following legend:
Severa Romana Pereira
murdered in defense
of her honor in
July 2, 1900.
popular tribute
to heroic virtue
It is said that one day, at twilight, a lady visited her daughter's tomb, which was close to that of
Severa Romana. After she ended her prayers, the lady looked at Severa's grave and saw the cross all
lit up, seeming to be surrounded by a halo. She looked down, saying prayers, and when she looked

27. back, the light was gone. The news spread quickly and from then on the Cult of Severa Romana
began.
Camilo Salgado and Crasso Barboza were two doctors who were much admired and loved, both for
their competence and for the charities they performed. Both deaths were deeply felt. Sometime
later, the news spread that Camilo Salgado sometimes appeared to one of them medicating him,
sometimes operated on another (it should be noted that the facts did not take place in spiritist or
Umbanda sessions, nor with the influence of mediums, although there too both manifest) and
from then on it begins to be worshipped. On a smaller scale, the same thing happened with Crasso
Barboza.