This paper examines the central role of the orixá Xangô in the foundation of the eldest Nagô (i.e., Yoruba) cult houses of both Candomblé in Bahia and Tambor de Mina in Maranhão. It also attempts to assess from an historical perspective Xangô's importance as an icon of aristocracy and leadership within Afro-Brazilian culture, exploring two main interrelated themes. First, the relationship between the West African polarity Xangô-Oxalá (Apter, 1992) and its Bahian ritual and conceptual expressions (e.g., the division of the liturgical calendar into the white and red parts). Second, the potential influence of the Oyo and other Yoruba royal referents in the socio-political organization of the Bahian "traditional" Nagô-Ketu congregations (e.g., the Obás de Xangô) and its contribution to the emergence of an Afro-Brazilian religious elite. The final section analyzes the essentially dynamic and transformational nature of Xangô, through an examination of the various "qualities" and ritual attributes of this multifaceted spiritual figure, paying special attention to old and new "syncretic" interactions with other African deities, such as the thunder voduns, Brazilian deities (caboclos) and Catholic saints. This regional comparative analysis between Bahia and Maranhão attempts to identify the values and formal devices associated with Xangô that sustain the underlying logic of Afro-Brazilian religious pluralism, flexibility and creative eclecticism.