these masked revelers would follow a master of ceremony as well, who was guiding the group blowing a shrill whistle, aided by the sound of instrumental percussion to set the rythm.

these were in fact the first blocos, main difference being the use of a whistle and the sound of percussion only, replaced today by 'trio eletricos', trucks with loud speakers and a musical band on top singing and animating the crowds.

in 1918 the historic 'cordão da bola preta' was born, a bloco that would grow immensely in popularity, gathering today over two million people in the center of rio.

technically a bloco, the cordão da bola preta was actually born with the declared commitment to reliving the traditions of the old cordões, a sign that most of these blocos were already extinct by the early twentieth century.