Margarida Joaquina de Sousa

At about 40 years old, Margarida Joaquina de Sousa was mentioned in the records of the inquiry on the Bahian Conspiracy, also known as Revolt of the Tailors of 1798, which brought together enslaved people, free Black people, whites and mixed-race poor people who had professions such as tailors, stonemasons and shoemakers. The movement was severely repressed by Portuguese authorities. Margarida, who made a living begging in front of the Senhor do Bonfim Church, was “accused of conspiracy,” but at the end of the proceedings she was acquitted of the crime of lèse-majesté.