Teodora, She is a Woman... (Teodora Dias da Cunha)

In January 1867, Teodora Dias da Cunha was subjected to questioning. She claimed not to know her age, stated that she was married to Luís and was the daughter of Balanger, a carpenter. She did not know her mother’s name but said that her parents were both from the Congo Coast. She said that she was a cook and did not know how to read or write. Brought to Brazil, she went to work in rural São Paulo, near the city of Limeira, enslaved to João Rodrigo da Cunha, whose surname she adopted. Around 1862, she was sold in São Paulo and separated from her husband and son. In these circumstances, she met the enslaved Claro Antônio dos Santos and asked him to write letters, which were never sent but help to reconstruct parts of her life story.