This municipality in the State of Mato Grosso is the homeland of Natalino Ferreira Mendes, a poet and historian who dedicated his life to singing the beauties of the Paraguay River and preserving the historical memory of the western border.

On the Banks of the Paraguay River: The Literary Resistance of Cáceres

Cáceres. The Little Princess of the Paraguay River. Founded in 1778 under the name Vila Maria do Paraguai, the city that will turn 248 years old in 2026 is a cultural melting pot where the Pantanal meets history, where cururu and siriri still echo, and where literature, far from the spotlight of the South-Southeast axis, resists with the strength of the waters that bathe it.

Regional capital of southwestern Mato Grosso, Cáceres has built its own literary identity over the centuries — anchored in memory, oral tradition, and love for the Pantanal land. But what few know is that today, the city is experiencing a moment of silent effervescence: riverside literary gatherings, cultural collectives that make space for marginalized voices, and a new generation of writers who refuse silence.

In this article, we dive deep into this scenario to map the roots, traditions, and, above all, the contemporary agents that make Cáceres a hub of literary resistance in the heart of the Pantanal.

1. Roots and Tradition: Natalino Ferreira Mendes and Cáceres' Memory

Every literary scene has its patriarch. In Cáceres, this place is undoubtedly occupied by Natalino Ferreira Mendes (1933-2021).

Born in the city and passionate about regional history, Natalino dedicated his life to documenting the essence of Cáceres. His monumental work is a true archive of Cáceres' memory, encompassing history, poetry, ephemerides, and chronicles. Among his most important titles are:

• História de Cáceres (Volume I, 1973; 2nd ed. 2009) and Volume II (2010) — a meticulous investigation into municipal administration, the city's origin, and the presence of the armed forces in the region.

• Efemérides cacerenses (Vols. I and II, 1992) — published by the Federal Senate's Graphic Center, it compiles significant dates and events in local history.

• Memória cacerense (1998) — a collection that rescues characters, anecdotes, and landscapes that time insisted on erasing.

• Anhuma do Pantanal: poesia da terra (1993) and Pássaro vim-vim: poesia da terra (2010) — his forays into Pantanal poetry, where he sings of the region's fauna, flora, and popular types.

Natalino Ferreira Mendes's work is permeated by a central theme: Cáceres. Whether in historical prose or lyrical verse, what emerges is "the land, the people, the flora, the fauna, and the natural beauties," as his work's analysis points out. The reader encounters "popular types, symbolic elements of the city (old and new), monuments, streets, old mansions, legends, customs." His work is, above all, an act of love and resistance.

In 2021, the year of his death, the posthumous organization of Fragmentos da história cultural de Cáceres (Vols. I and II) was published, organized by his daughter, also a writer and professor, Olga Maria Castrillon Mendes, as well as the book Letras cacerenses, co-authored with her. Natalino was a member of the Mato-Grossense Academy of Letters and left a legacy that continues to fuel local literary production today.

Other Founding Voices

Alongside Natalino, other figures paved the way for Cáceres' literature:

• Martha Baptista: Journalist, author of Cantos de Amor e Saudade – A história de Cáceres contada através das lembranças de vó Estella (2005, reissued 2025). The work, which had the collaboration of Natalino Ferreira Mendes himself, reconstructs the city's history from the memories of Estella Rodrigues Ambrósio, a woman from Rio de Janeiro who moved to Cáceres in 1926 after falling in love with a local doctor. The book recalls festivities like the cavalhadas and bullfights, as well as the passage of the Prestes Column through the region.

• Olga Maria Castrillon Mendes: Natalino's daughter, she is a retired full professor at UNEMAT, a member of the Mato-Grossense Academy of Letters, and the author of extensive academic work on literature and history, including Cáceres: passado e presente de uma geografia poética (2020, co-authored) and Letras cacerenses (2021). She is the great contemporary guardian of the city's literary memory.

2. The Contemporary Scene: Literary Gatherings, Collectives, and Marginal Poetry

If Cáceres' past is marked by solitary guardians, its present is characterized by collectives, multiple voices, and youth protagonism. The city's contemporary literary scene is defined by three main phenomena: the strength of Pantanal literary gatherings, the tireless work of the Movimento Figueira Cultural, and the emergence of a new generation of independent writers.

The Movimento Figueira Cultural: The Heart of Resistance

Founded over a decade ago, the Movimento Figueira Cultural (MFC) is undoubtedly the main engine of Cáceres' literary and artistic scene. Composed of professors, university students, artists, and community members, the collective aims to give visibility to musicians, poets, dancers, and performers, creating a space to showcase their work.

In 2024, the group celebrated 10 years of activities with the event "Sarau da Figueira," and in 2025, it held the Sarau de Arte Pantaneira on March 8th, at Sicmatur, on the banks of the Paraguay River — the city's postcard landmark.

The program for the Sarau de Arte Pantaneira reveals the diversity of the new Cáceres scene:

As seen, the literary gathering is not just a literary event — it is a total experience, where poetry, music, dance, and performance meet in a free and horizontal dialogue.

The MFC also collaborates with other collectives, such as the Coletivo de Mulheres Negras de Cáceres (Cáceres Black Women's Collective) and the Coletivo LGBTQIA+ K.O, ensuring that the cultural scene is a space for inclusion and "counter-hegemonic" productions, as its members define them.

The Small (Big) Authors of the Independent Scene

Cáceres' literary scene is alive with a diversity of voices that, lacking major publishing houses, find their stage in literary gatherings, the municipal library, and MFC meetings.

Based on the program of the Arts Week at the "Professora Leonídia Avelino de Moraes" Municipal Library, held in October 2021, and other sources, the following active authors have been identified:

• Daniel Genuíno: Author of Um Lobisomem Cacerense – Só que não (A Cáceres Werewolf – Not Really), a title that already announces a mix of horror, humor, and local identity.

• Odair José da Silva (Odair José, Poeta Cacerense): One of the most active names on the scene, author of Contos e Pensamentos do Poeta Cacerense (Tales and Thoughts of the Cáceres Poet) and the provocative O Homem Que Queimou a Bíblia (The Man Who Burned the Bible). In an interview, he stated: "Writing is an art. A pleasure. A journey. I can move between various worlds. Discover things that no one is seeing, even though they are right before their eyes."

• Edson Flávio: Poet and researcher, author of As Utopias e Resistências de Pedro Casaldáliga (literary analysis of the bishop-poet's work) and poems in the anthology Aldrava. He is working on a collection of short stories.

• Antônio Miguel Senatore: Author of the Guia Informativo Multidisciplinar (Multidisciplinary Informative Guide).

• Antônio José da Costa (Toninho Costa): Author of Pantanal em Versos e Rimas (Pantanal in Verses and Rhymes), a poetic celebration of the region.

• Esdras Crepaldi: Author of Alma (Soul) and co-author of PoesiBrasil.

• Gabriel Brailowsky: Cáceres multi-artist (actor, singer, instrumentalist, composer, and poet). He participated in the Literamúsica program in 2022 and performed at the 2025 Sarau de Arte Pantaneira. He is working on his first album, O pantanal ao piano (The Pantanal on the Piano), composed of "short original pieces that will seek to portray life in the Pantanal region."

• Ismael Diniz: Theater actor, dancer, and performer, member of the Coletivo LGBTQIA+ K.O and president of the Popular Forum of Culture of Cáceres. His trajectory is emblematic: he had to leave the city to study theater, but today he returns to teach. "Being an artist means constantly learning, and most importantly: consuming all kinds of art, even what you consider bad," he states.

Literamúsica: A Program That Amplifies Voices

In addition to literary gatherings, Cáceres has Literamúsica, a talk show program that brings together writers, musicians, and performers for an exchange of knowledge. Conceived by maestro Fabrício Carvalho, the program is held at UNEMAT and is already in its third edition (2022). The initiative is supported by the Municipality of Cáceres and the State Secretariat of Education, and it is an important vector for promoting young artists from the region.

3. Themes and Works: What Today's Cáceres Residents Write About

Predominant Genres

Contemporary Cáceres literary production is distributed across three main streams:

1. Poetry: It remains the queen genre, heir to Natalino Ferreira Mendes's tradition, but now with experiments ranging from slam to marginal poetry, as seen in the performances of Gabriel Brailowsky and Maria Clara at the MFC gatherings.

2. Local Memory and History: A very strong tradition, ranging from Natalino Ferreira Mendes's works to Martha Baptista's Cantos de Amor e Saudade, as well as Olga Castrillon Mendes's academic research.

3. Short Story and Chronicle: Authors like Odair José and Daniel Genuíno explore everyday life, the fantastic, and humor in short prose.

Recurring Themes

• The Pantanal as a Character: Not just a setting, but a protagonist. The fauna (anhuma, vim-vim bird), flora, Paraguay River, and popular types (cururueiros, fishermen, healers) are constant raw material.

• Memory and Cultural Resistance: There is a clear concern with documenting what is being lost — the cavalhadas, bullfights, old mansions, legends. This theme is a political act of resistance against forgetting.

• Love and Longing: A guiding thread in Cantos de Amor e Saudade, it also appears in the lyrical poetry of new authors.

• Identity and Belonging: Being from Cáceres, living on the banks of the Paraguay River, carrying the accent and traditions — these are themes that unite everyone from Natalino Ferreira Mendes to the young poets of the MFC.

Recent Highlighted Works

4. Cáceres in Literature: When the City Becomes a Character

There is also a phenomenon that deserves attention: Cáceres not only produces literature but is also produced by it. The city appears as a setting or reference in works that transcend local borders.

The most emblematic case is that of the bishop-poet Pedro Casaldáliga (1920-2020), a Spaniard who settled in Brazil and lived for decades in São Félix do Araguaia, but whose work Aquí abajo (1977) and other writings echo throughout the state of Mato Grosso. The Cáceres poet Edson Flávio dedicated an entire book of literary analysis to him — As Utopias e Resistências de Pedro Casaldáliga.

Furthermore, the French traveler and naturalist Hercules Florence (1804-1879), in his Viagem fluvial do Tietê ao Amazonas (published posthumously), describes the region where Cáceres is located today, contributing to the literary imagination of the Pantanal.

Final Considerations: A Scene That Pulses

Cáceres is not found in major editorial catalogs. It doesn't have a Flip (Brazilian Literary Festival), nor does it attract the attention of critics from the main cultural centers. But its literary scene is alive, vibrant, and authentic. From the monumental legacy of Natalino Ferreira Mendes to the verses recited on the banks of the Paraguay River at the Sarau de Arte Pantaneira, what is evident is a community that understands literature as an act of belonging, resistance, and celebration.

The Movimento Figueira Cultural, independent poets like Odair José and Gabriel Brailowsky, the LGBTQIA+ and Black women's collectives, the UNEMAT professors who keep the flame of memory alive — all of them are proof that, in Cáceres, the word is not silenced. It echoes, like the anhuma's call, over the slow waters of the Paraguay.

References

• [1] Prefeitura de Cáceres. Prefeitura de Cáceres apoia edição do Literamúsica. Aug. 29, 2022. Available at: https://www.caceres.mt.gov.br/Noticias/Prefeitura-de-caceres--apoia-edicao-do--literamusica-projeto-que-realiza-trocas-de-experiencias-entre-artistas-e-comunidade-8814/

• [2] Prefeitura de Cáceres. Roda de conversa uniu escritores cacerenses e alunos na biblioteca municipal. Oct. 2021. Available at: https://www.caceres.mt.gov.br/Noticias/Roda-de-conversa-uniu-escritores-cacerenses-e-alunos-na-biblioteca-municipal-8184/

• [3] Prefeitura de Cáceres. Sarau de Arte Pantaneira celebra a diversidade e a cultura de Cáceres. Mar. 6, 2025. Available at: https://www.caceres.mt.gov.br/Noticias/Sarau-de-arte-pantaneira-celebra-a-diversidade-e-a-cultura-de-caceres-10099/

• [4] Castrillon Mendes, O. M. Fragmentos da história cultural de Cáceres e outros fios da memória: resenha. Revista do Instituto Histórico e Geográfico de Mato Grosso, v. 1, n. 86, p. 211-215, 2026. Available at: https://revistaihgmt.com.br/index.php/revistaihgmt/article/view/686

• [5] Natalino Ferreira Mendes. Obras Publicadas – Livros. Available at: https://natalinoferreiramendes.com.br/obras-publicadas/livros

• [6] Natalino Ferreira Mendes. Livros. Available at: https://www.natalinoferreiramendes.com.br/obras-publicadas/livros

• [7] Odair José, Poeta Cacerense. Poetas de Cáceres - MT, Edson Flávio e Odair José, falam sobre livros no Dia Nacional do Livro. Oct. 29, 2021. Available at: https://odairpoetacacerense.blogspot.com/2021/10/poetas-de-caceres-mt-edson-flavio-e.html

• [8] FolhaMax. História de Cáceres é contada em livro através de lembranças. Jun. 17, 2025. Available at: https://www.folhamax.com/cultura/historia-de-caceres-e-contada-em-livro-atraves-de-lembrancas/496883

• [9] RUA (Unicamp). Cáceres - nome luso de cidade mato-grossense. Available at: https://periodicos.sbu.unicamp.br/ojs/index.php/rua/article/view/8637528

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