While members of the afoxés brought their Afro-Brazilian religious cosmology to the Carnaval procession by maintaining their African roots with the puxada do ijexá (a rhythm played in honor of the orixás or Afro-Brazilian deities), the flourishing middle-class blocos mostly relied on carnaval music styled on Rio de Janeiro's samba-enrredos.
Members of the afoxés brought their Afro-Brazilian religious cosmology to the Carnaval procession by upholding their African roots through the puxada do ijexá (a rhythm played in honor of the orixás or Afro-Brazilian deities), while the flourishing middle-class blocos mostly relied on carnaval music inspired by Rio de Janeiro's samba-enrredos.