Mestre Suassuna and Mestre Brasília, in a room of a mansion on Av.Angelica in Sao Paulo, which was being demolished, founded the group Cordão de Ouro in 1967.

As Mestre Suassuna followed more of a regional path and Mestre Brasilia followed more of an Angola path, they decided to give a name to the group that was neutral, which would not lean in either direction or style. During the time when they were discussing names for the group, they heard a song by Elis Regina “… Farewell Bahia, zum zum zum Cordao de Ouro …” so they decided to baptize the Academy of Cordao de Ouro, in honor of the Capoeirista Besouro Cordao de Ouro, who was neither angoleiro nor regional, but who was simply capoeira.

After some time, Mestre Suassuna and Mestre Brasilia had to abandon their room in the mansion on Av.Angelica, due to construction. They moved the Academy to Rua das palmeiras, n.104, still found in Sao Paulo. Right after the inauguration of this new space for their Academy the period of military dictatorship was in place in Brazil.

This was a very difficult phase for the capoeiristas. They were not allowed to practice capoeira in the streets, at the universities, in schools, or in bars … Mestre Brasilia and Mestre Suassuna had to simulate fights in the streets as a way to get students to come to Cordao de Ouro. During this time, as there were many capoeiristas from Bahia without a father, a mother, or family in Sao Paulo, Mestre Suassuna decided to unite these capoeiristas at a roda that happened on Saturdays at Cordao de Ouro, and this way the Academy became a sort of Bahian Consulate.

There were more and more Bahian capoeiristas showing up at Cordao de Ouro, until one day, Mestre Suassuna, worried about the growth of capoeira in Sao Paulo, united everyone and said: “from next month on, each one of you will have to look for a place to give your own classes, Capoeira needs to grow in Sao Paulo”.

So then, Mestre Limão took up courage and opened an Academy in Santo Amaro ; Silvestre opened another one in Brooklin, and so forth. The group Cordao de Ouro had their first batizado with twelve students, and they then organized their 1 st tournament of Capoeira: “The floor is the limit”, and they also organized the first three Capoeira festivals. Despite the progress being made by these capoeiristas, the dictatorship did not let up, and Mestre Suassuna was even put in jail by the Federal Police, being accused of being a leader of a subversive community. Mestre Suassuna was beaten and given shocks. This was very unjust because the truth was that he had absolutely no involvement with subversion. Some of his students had been involved in subversive acts, but he had nothing to do with their actions.

With the foundation of the Paulista Federation of Capoeira, in 1974, our Brazilian art went on acquiring more and more space in society in such a way that today the group Cordao de Ouro has thousands of members spread around the United States, France, Israel, Japan, Austria, Portugal, Mexico, England, Italy.