Who Was “Luciano das Ratas” and “Avelozzo the Monkey Man”? Fatima Mariano brought forgotten figures from the history of Portugal to the present – News

“Gluttony of Almada”, “Luciano das Ratas”, “Giant of Varelos”, “King of Garbage”, historian Fatima Mariano dedicated a chapter of her new book to all these strange and strange characters in our history. After all, there are ten reports—interspersed with other brief narrations—that the professor and doctor of contemporary history mentions in the work she gave recently to national shows.

Eccentric figures in the history of Portugal (Contraponto edition), has its origins in an earlier title by the same author, as a result of the interest readers have shown in the character of Doroteia Ivo, a young woman from the Algarve with alleged X-ray vision. The motto of Fatima Mariano to meet the challenge of discovering many other true stories of characters from the past (also modern) distinguished by their exceptional characteristics.

These novels, given the present, do not leave us indifferent. Some of these men, women, and children deserve public display at fairs. The author makes this fact clear: “What in a certain historical period and/or in a particular culture is considered eccentric, at another time and place may be considered normal.” For Fatima Mariano, “the change in the way society in general and the press themselves begin to criticize this form of exploitation of human beings is notorious.” All the stories have in common in the fact that the historian looks at the forms they give us, traces of overcoming, bravery, solidarity, and compassion.

Fatima Mariano presents forgotten figures from the history of Portugal to the present. What prompted you to write this book?

The idea came about after the story of Dorothea Evo, The Woman with X-ray Vision, was published in my previous book, Great mysteries in the history of Portugal. José Saramago inspired her to create Blimunda Monastery Monument. This story aroused a lot of interest from readers. Doroteia Ivo had the ability to see inside corpses (humans and animals) and the earth, which could, at the time, be considered witchcraft, but the Inquisition was never bothered by it. During my research, I came across other Portuguese people who, because of their unusual physical, psychological or behavioral characteristics, or their unusual profession, were the object of public curiosity, some of whom were exhibited in exhibitions and concert halls.

In writing this book, did you consider the fact that some of the stories told in it were shocking when viewed from today’s point of view?

In light of current values, yes, it is shocking to know that there are people who, with a physical disability, were subjected to satisfying the curiosity of the public, sometimes when they were children. However, it is important to look into the past with the context of time in mind. This was not unique to Portugal. The stories are presented in chronological order and the change in the way society at large begins and the press itself criticizing this form of exploitation of human beings is notorious.

As mentioned, in Portugal, in the past, such people with some kind of disability were publicly displayed. When these presentations are over?

There were public performances, yes, even in the second half of the twentieth century. In concert halls, exhibitions, etc., not only for the Portuguese people, but also for foreigners, such as “fat boys”, Mateus and Anna, two Italian brothers who were overweight. He was 11 years old, he weighed 201 kilograms, and the nine weighed 129 kilograms. They were shown in Portugal. I don’t know when these offers ended.

Are you still following the previous question, are there companies/entrepreneurs who promoted this type of offer?

They were in some cases foreign businessmen; In other cases, as in the case of Feliciano da Assumpção, “The Monster of Albardo”, they were family acquaintances who saw showing him to the public as a business opportunity.

Did any of the stories you tell us particularly touch you?

They all touched me in their own way. Some are due to the suffering involved, as in the case of people with physical disabilities who were publicly displayed or Albano Jesus Pirao, the “Afluso monkey”, who was violent when he was attacked by a stranger and who, when he returned to his normal state, felt guilt and suffered from the behavior that He had to. Others draw caricatures of situations, as in the case of the glutton Almada, who ate ridiculous amounts of food, or Luciano Moreira, famous for being an expert rat catcher in the Lisbon sewers. But these stories also have another facet, which is overcoming solidarity and compassion despite obstacles.

Take in your book the stories of men, women and men. In short, can you explain to us what the characters are?

These are cases of pseudo-hermaphroditism, people whose external genitalia are not fully developed and, accordingly, have given rise to the so-called “sexual errors”. One case presented is that of Ines dos Anjos, who, after being noticed by doctors in the 1920s, concluded that the man was a man, not a woman. She underwent surgery and changed her name, changing her name to Inácio.

He mentioned her in his book as one of the “most charismatic figures in Lisbon at the beginning of the twentieth century”. What is so special about Luciano Moreira that he was even a subject of Dr. Carlos I?

Luciano Moreira, nicknamed “Luciano das Ratas,” became known as an expert rat hunter in the early 20th century. Because of the bubonic plague, the civil government of Lisbon decided to pay a certain amount for every ten rats killed, which were the main carriers of the disease. Knowing that these animals live mainly underground, Luciano Moreira, an unemployed construction worker, asked the city council for permission to pass through the city’s sewer pipes. This turned out to be his main occupation for about six years, albeit with some interruptions. In addition to hunting mice, he also found stolen or lost items, discovered gas and water leaks and pursued criminal suspects. One day, he presented a picture of Dr. Carlos I, who highly appreciated his gesture and ended up being rewarded with 5,000 reis and being included in the list of protected citizens. Luciano Moreira rendered a real public service to the city of Lisbon, but died in poverty. The newspaper paid for his funeral horn.

There is a character in your book that is impressive for her longevity (he died at the age of 92), despite the turbulent life he had. This is Albano Pirao, the “Afluso monkey”. Why was it called by that name?

The newspaper was nicknamed Albano de Jesus Perão horn Being the victim of mysterious attacks that changed his appearance. During attacks that could last for minutes or hours, he screamed like an animal, ran on all fours, climbed buildings and monuments, and jumped as if his feet were springs. There was always a crowd around him, sometimes injuries were reported, and when he returned to his normal state, he didn’t remember anything. He even went to newsrooms to ask reporters to plead with people not to gather around him when he’s under attack, because he doesn’t want to hurt anyone. At the initiative of the government, he was seen by doctors of different nationalities and the most consistent thesis was that he would suffer from neurological and lycanthropic epilepsy. The attacks lasted nearly 47 years. Due to illness, he was unable to stay in a job. He survived thanks to the state pension and charity. He lived a life full of suffering.

Some of the characters he introduced in his book had international projections, such as João Baptista dos Santos. Who was the “human tripod”?

Doctor João Baptista dos Santos is nicknamed for having three legs, four feet, two penises, and two anus, one of which is not pierced. It generated a natural curiosity and a scientific curiosity. Your case has been studied by doctors of different nationalities. He lived about 30 years and died in England. He was a shoemaker, and was also exhibited to the public, in Portugal and abroad, he loved to ride horses, got married, had children. It is one of the cases of overcoming, because he did not allow his physical condition to prevent him from living the life he wanted.

Journalist pass, Roy Ochoa, wrote in 2009 that: “A target of the same curiosity as always and a victim of the same interests that made him move painfully around the world.” He was referring to Gabriel Estivao Mongani, the “giant of mangacaze.” It’s a sad story…

Yes that’s right. Gabriel Estevao Mongani is 2.45 meters tall and was considered the world’s tallest man in 1988 by Guinness Book of World Records. This physical condition caused him serious health problems and he had to undergo surgery several times. He toured almost all over the world for several years, and those who knew him would say that he was very friendly, but also had a very sad look.

Among the characters he gave us, some gave rise to legends, plots and theories. Would Fatima Mariano want to share any of them with us?

Some consider the story of Albano de Jesus Pirao, “The Monkey Man of Afloso”, to have inspired Edgar Rice Burroughs to create the character Tarzan, but I have not found anything to support this theory.

Is it taken into account whether, in some of the periods to which the book refers, there are persons or movements who oppose these general exhibitions of human beings?

I did not find any references to organized protest movements for these public exhibitions. What I realized is that as we move forward into the 20th century, a greater sensitivity to the subject begins. In the case of the so-called “monkey boys”, for example, the doctor criticizes Fausto Landero, in News Diary, the way some newspapers referred to these children. Also in the case of Gabriel Estevao Mongani and Licio Pedro, better known as “the dwarf colesio”, there is criticism in the newspapers of the fact that these people are exposed to the public because of their physical condition.

Through the research you did for your book, did you find other characters that you didn’t include in the work due to the lack of reliable sources?

yes. They were not included due to a lack of reliable sources or due to the paucity of information that could be collected. One such figure is Maria Cachocha, a woman who worked in a slaughterhouse in Torres Vedras. I am very curious to know your life story better.

Written interview in September 2022.