Roque José Florencio, known as Pata Seca, was deprived of his freedom from childhood and became a slave. His looks and physical strength made him desirable to slave owners. Once in the hands of a greedy and enterprising master, he became a literal inseminator of slave girls devoid of feeling, will, and their own desires. Such slaves were called “inseminators”, and their fate was unenviable – only to fulfill their function.

However, after 40 years of exploitation, Pata Seka was able to free himself and become the master of his own destiny. His story is an amazing legend of Brazil, which I will tell in this article.

Illustrative photo

Back in 1828 in the city of Sorocaba, Brazil, an African-American named Roque José Florencio was born. At the age of 12, he entered the slave market and was bought by one of the landowners. Because of his strong and sturdy physique, as well as his impressive height (he reached two meters in adulthood), his master made him an indentured servant.

Roque was forbidden to have a family and was forced to have relations with slave women to procreate. In this way, the master increased the number of young slaves to replace exhausted workers and less productive old men.

Slave owners often resorted to this practice. They chose the healthiest and strongest men, usually with tall stature, strong bodies, and muscular calves. It was believed that such slaves would produce the boys needed on the farm to do the hard work. Roque met all the requirements, and he also proved to be quite fertile.

It is not known how many women were with him throughout his time, but some accounts say that more than 249 children were born to him. All of them became slaves working on the plantation or sold in the market.

Illustrative photo

Roque had no right to freedom or his own desires. He only carried out the tasks of his master, who monitored his health and nutrition. To motivate Roque to do his job well, his master gave him some indulgences, such as allowing him to go to town on errands unsupervised (on the farm he was also responsible for delivering mail and caring for the horses). However, his master’s trust was not justified – Roque tried to escape several times. But his conspicuous appearance made it difficult for him to hide.

Even though Pata Seke was unable to escape, he never gave up hope for freedom and believed that he and the other slaves deserved it. So he helped his fellow slaves escape from the farm. For this he was respected, and for many he became a symbol of justice and human dignity. His natural intelligence, strength and charisma were admired by many.

Photo by Pat Seca

The escaped slaves, thanks to the help of Pat Seka, united with other fugitives and created villages “silombo”, which became real strongholds of freedom.

After 40 years of slavery, Pata Seca finally found freedom in 1888, when Brazil abolished slavery for natives and migrants. In gratitude for his diligent work, his former master gave him a small plot of land. On this land, Pata Seca established the farm Sítio Pata Seca, where he grew cane and produced rapadura (pieces of unrefined sugar). The earnings were enough for a modest but independent life. Unfortunately, Pata Seca did not have enough money for a fence, and part of his land was appropriated by his neighbors.

Illustrative photo

Now Pata Seka could not only work for himself, but also manage his personal life. He married a girl named Palmira, whom he met in town when he was still delivering mail to his former master. Nine children were born to them during their marriage. It is estimated that through his offspring, Pata Seka became the ancestor of about 30% of the population of his town. He was considered a respected figure in the neighborhood.

Photo of Pata Seca

Pat Sek’s descendants are pictured

His 130th birthday was celebrated with much fanfare and a large number of guests. A few months after the celebration, Pata Seka accidentally stepped on a nail and soon died of tetanus.

On June 13, 1958, this amazing man who survived slavery, gained his freedom, witnessed the establishment of a republic in Brazil and two world wars passed away. Thousands of people came to his funeral to pay their respects to a man who had come a long way from slave to free farmer.