The Story of Roque José Florêncio, the Slave Turned Into a “Human-Breeding Machine” in the 19th Century

Roque José Florêncio was allegedly born around 1827 in Sorocaba. He was purchased around 1849 by the powerful landowner and coffee grower Francisco da Cunha Bueno, who later became the Viscount of Cunha Bueno, and was taken to the Fazenda Santa Eudóxia. He was nicknamed “Pata Seca” (Dry Paw), reportedly due to his long, thin hands.

Oral accounts describe him as an extraordinarily tall and strong man, possibly reaching 2.18 meters (over 7 feet). These physical characteristics, combined with a contemporary belief that tall men with thin shins were more likely to produce male offspring, sealed his fate.

Roque was systematically exploited by his enslaver as a “slave-breeder” (escravo reprodutor). This horrific practice was aimed at increasing the plantation's enslaved labor force, particularly after the slave trade was banned in 1850 (Lei Eusébio de Queirós). He was allegedly forced to impregnate enslaved women regularly and is said to have fathered more than 200 children (some accounts suggest over 250).

Due to his role as a “breeding slave,” Roque was often granted a relatively different life than most other enslaved people. He reportedly did not work in the coffee fields and lived outside the senzala (slave quarters). He was entrusted with the care of the farm’s transport animals and tasked with riding a long distance daily to fetch his master's correspondence.

With the abolition of slavery in 1888 (Lei Áurea), Roque was freed. While performing his duties as a courier, he had met and later married a woman named Palmira. The Viscount of Cunha Bueno allegedly granted the couple 20 alqueires (a measure of land), where they built a home and raised nine children together.

Tragically, much of the land Roque was given was gradually appropriated by influential, wealthy farmers through irregular demarcation, a common occurrence that left newly freed Black Brazilians marginalized and impoverished. He was reportedly left with only a small fraction of the promised land.

One of the most remarkable parts of the Pata Seca legend is his alleged extreme longevity. He is widely believed to have lived to be 130 years old, with his death recorded on February 17, 1958. While this claim places him as a supercentenarian and is a key part of his myth, it lacks rigorous historical confirmation.

Due to the forced reproduction and his later marriage, Roque José Florêncio is considered the direct ancestor of a significant portion of the population in the district of Santa Eudóxia, some estimates suggest up to 30%.

Today, Pata Seca is remembered as a legendary figure whose story highlights the brutal realities of Brazilian slavery, particularly the institutionalized sexual violence and the efforts to create a domestic supply of enslaved labor. His history is preserved through oral reports and the memory of his countless descendants in the region.