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The poncho in the traditional tropeiro clothes has Spanish origin, tracing back to Berber cloaks like the ancient balandrau (distinct from the modern balandrau). The first mention of the caipira poncho dates back to 1585 by the Jesuit Fernão Cardim. The poncho described by the priest was the famous "bernéu de cacheira" worn by the bandeirantes, which later evolved into the poncho tropeiro. One hypothesis is that the "bernéu" came to be called "poncho" because many Spaniards who settled in São Paulo between the 17th and 18th centuries came from the Guairá region and the Viceroyalty of Peru, bringing with them the word "poncho", which is of Andean origin. An interesting fact is that our poncho closely resembles the "ruana", a poncho from Colombia and Venezuela, even though the two cultures never had direct contact. This supports the idea that our poncho is of Spanish origin.
French traveler Saint-Hilaire wrote in 1819: "From Mogi Mirim, heading toward the capital, I did not encounter a single man who did not wear his poncho." He also documented that women, Blacks, Indigenous people, whites, caboclos, poor and rich—all wore ponchos.