Vale of Tears: Revisiting the Canudos Massacre

Vale of Tears: Revisiting the Canudos Massacre in Northeastern Brazil, 1893–1897 is a book by historian Robert M. Levine published by the University of California Press in 1992. The book goes into detail of the Massacre that occurred in the Northeastern state of Bahia. Focused on the events from 1893-1897, the book looks at the life of Antônio Conselheiro and the city that he created. Antônio Conselheiro was a Brazilian religious leader, preacher, and the creator of Canudos, the scene of the War of Canudos (1896-1897). This war was between the state of Brazil and the 30,000 settlers that followed Antônio Conselheiro. After multiple confrontations the central government brutally took control of the city killing more than 15,000 people and destroying what was left of the town.