6 Facts About Pata Seca, The Man Who Had More Than 200 Children

Roque José Florêncio, nicknamed Pata Seca was born in 1828 and is said to have been a “breeding slave” who had more than two hundred children aiming to generate a strong labour force with favourable genetic traits

He was a “strong and tall” (over 7 feet tall) enslaved man. He is said to have lived 130 years

Joaquim José de Oliveira, a landowner enslaved him. He worked as a field labourer as well as a breeding slave and was compelled to have sexual contact with enslaved women to have more enslaved children. He fathered 249 children with several women, according to family relatives making him a direct ancestor of about 30% of the population of Santa Eudóxia, São Carlos

Seca became a free man after witnessing the abolition of slavery in Brazil in 1888

Roque José Florêncio eventually married Palmira and together, they had nine children

Pata Seca’s accidentally stepped on a nail and the resulting injury led to tetanus, and despite receiving initial care from a local healer, his condition deteriorated rapidly. Consequently, he passed away in February 1958 at the age of 130, a mere three months after participating in the city’s birthday parade as the oldest man in the county. Pata Seca’s life serves as a harrowing reminder of the immense suffering endured by Africans who were enslaved in Brazil