When the American Confederacy lost the Civil War in May 1865, 10,000 Southerners fled the US for a small city in Brazil, where they could rebuild their lives and carry on their traditions.

Now, 150 years later, their story has been seemingly erased from the history books.

But deep in the heart of Brazil, descendendants of these confederate expats gather annually to celebrate their controversial history and maintain their traditions and culture.

Thanks to VICE reporter Mimi Dwyer, whose exposé on Americana peeled back the curtain on Brazil's reported tradition of slavery.