Francisca Xavier da Silva, popularly known as Xica da Silva, was born around 1732 in São João del-Rei, Minas Gerais, Brazil. She was the daughter of a Portuguese miner, João de Barros, and a slave mother, whose name is unknown. Xica da Silva's early life was marked by hardship and struggle, as she was sold to a slave trader and later became a slave in the diamond mines of Arraial do Tejuco (now Diamantina).