"Cangaceiros e Retirantes" includes works that recount episodes from the history and culture of the interior of Northeast Brazil. With a strong mythical content, they refer to human confrontations with limit-situations. Cangaço was a kind of social banditry occurring historically in Northeast Brazil between 1870 and 1940 and characterised by the action of independent armed groups under strong leadership. The member of a group of bandits is a type of social bandit as well as an ambiguous figure. Although performing cruel acts, he also appears as a victim of the powerful and benefactor of the poor. The couple Lampião and Maria Bonita became famous throughout the country as the main leaders of cangaço. "Retirantes" is the name given to people who migrate on foot from one place to another during the prolonged periods of drought devastating the sertão. "Cangaceiros" and "Retirantes" have become icons of north-eastern culture and Brazilian folk art.