As Mulheres de Mantilha (Women with Headdresses) by Joaquim Manoel de Macedo is a historical novel, a text that would show to 19th Century readers, when it was released, life in Rio de Janeiro in the ides of 1769, during the viceroyalty of the Conde da Cunha (Count of Cunha).

Outlining the calendar of festivals and Fluminense traditions of the eighteenth Century, Macedo reveals an extensive snapshot of Rio in that period. The minutiae of the city are displayed (habits, customs, sickness, holidays, clothing…). in the storyline, which encompasses intrigues, passions and forbidden love, Macedo criticizes arbitrary acts of government and unpunished crimes.