Part 4/13:
Fleeing into the wilderness, Lampião allied with bandit groups known as cangaos, who resisted the oppressive landowning oligarchs—local warlords with private armies and ties to corrupt police. Lampião quickly rose to dominance, earning a reputation as a lethal marksman—fast enough to make his rifle’s muzzle flicker like a flickering lamp, earning him the nickname.
By 1922, Lampião led a notorious gang that terrorized the Brazilian northeast, attacking towns, raiding farms, and extorting the wealthy. Paradoxically, despite his violent crimes, Lampião was viewed as a folk hero among the impoverished locals. He targeted the rich, especially the Coron landowners, and used stolen wealth to buy supplies, giving him a Robin Hood-like reputation among the oppressed.