Maria Bonita was the nickname of Maria Déia, a member of a Cangaço band, marauders and outlaws active in the Brazilian Northeast in the 1920s and 1930s.
Maria Bonita means "Beautiful Maria".
She has the status of a 'folk heroine' in Brazil.
There is some inconsistency over the original name of Maria Bonita, with Maria Alia da Silva and Maria Gomes de Oliveira also attributed.