São Paulo – Some cities never seem to just conform to the role that history ascribes them. And Ouro Preto, in the interior of Minas Gerais, is one of them. The municipality, which staged the first gold rush of the country, in the late 17th century, also became the capital of a province in the 18th century. Ouro Preto was also a great atelier for one of the leading Brazilian artists and a master of Baroque sculpture: Aleijadinho.
Before Aleijadinho made the city into an open-air relic, Ouro Preto was the stage of disputes and battles that changed the course of history in Brazil. Some bandeirantes (pioneers) from São Paulo, led by Duarte Lopes, were in the region known as Gerais in 1694 to imprison Indians. When Duarte Lopes stopped for water at a creek, he found something that resembled granite. The strange material was sent to Rio de Janeiro, where the granite was found to be gold. Four years later, an expedition led by the bandeirante Antônio Dias de Oliveira found Pico do Itacolomi (the Itacolomi peak), described in the accounts of Duarte Lopes, which was located in a plot filled with the gold that he was seeking.
In 1720, the village was promoted to the category of village and dubbed Vila Rica. However, between 1707 and 1709, some plots that contained gold mines were passed on to the Portuguese, known as emboabas. The pioneers from São Paulo rebelled and the two groups went to war, which was won by the Portuguese. The battle became known as Revolta dos Emboabas. In 1719 the Portuguese king, John V, established a foundry and determined that all of the gold found was to be melted. More than that: one fifth of it was to be handed in to the Crown as tax. A new revolt was stifled by the governor of the Capitania (district) who ordered the imprisonment of the revolt leader, Filipe dos Santos. He was jailed, judged and quartered.
In 1789, another uprising emerged in the region. The Inconfidência Mineira came about when Viscount of Barbacena arrived in the city to charge the taxes paid with gold that the king had established. A group of conspirators led by Joaquim José da Silva Xavier, aka Tiradentes, rebelled against the extorsion. Tiradentes was betrayed and had the same end as his rebel predecessor, Filipe dos Santos. His head was hanged at the square that now bears his name and is the main square in Ouro Preto.
At Tiradentes Square, you can buy local handicraft, the traditional sweets from Minas Gerais, and even cachaça (cane spirit). It is where the locals go for fun. Most of the bars, restaurants and pizza parlours in Ouro Preto are there. This, however, is not the main heritage of the city. The main attraction for visitors of the former capital of Minas Gerais (which becomes the seat of the state government every April 21st) is in its museums, such as Museu da Inconfidência, which houses objects used at the time of the Inconfidência and where many of the rebels of 1789 are buried. Taking a stroll, you can look at the original architecture of the houses and the streets of stone that have not lost their original style.
Ouro Preto also houses a stretch of Estrada Real (the Royal Road), that reaches the city of Paraty, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, and the state of São Paulo. The road was widely used by the gold-seeking bandeirantes. And also to send the ore found to the coast.
Aside from a stroll across the natural tracks of Estrada Real, the churches deserve the attention of visitors. The project for one of them, Nossa Senhora do Rosário (Our Lady of the Rosary), is one of the boldest in Brazilian Baroque. Its façade and lateral domes are round-shaped, which was unusual for the standards of the time, in the mid-18th century.
In some cases, as that of Santuário da Imaculada Conceição do Antonio Dias (Sanctuary of the Immaculate Conception of Antonio Dias), the architectural project was made by Aleijadinho’s father, Manuel Francisco Lisboa. This is the church that houses the Aleijadinho museum and in it, both the father and the son are buried. Aleijadinho’s importance and influence are seen in nearly all of the city’s churches. Nossa Senhora das Mercês e Misericórdia (Our Lady of Mercies and Forgiveness), for example, was built between 1731 and 1733. However, once completed, its façade was changed to include a central tower, designed by the artist. Antonio Francisco Lisboa was nicknamed Aleijadinho (Little Cripple) because a serious illness, probably Hansen’s, made him lose his feet and hands, but did not stop him from working.
In 2003, a fire hit some buildings in the city, which was declared a world heritage site by the Unesco in 1980. The buildings affected were restored and the incident does not prevent visitors from enjoying the best that the city has to offer: its natural landscape, which reveals itself in between the slopes, and its architectural treasures.
Where to stay
Pousada Minas Gerais
Rua Xavier da Veiga, 303, Centre. Tel.: (+55 31) 3551-5506
Grande Hotel de Ouro Preto
Rua Senador Rocha Lagoa, 168, Centre. Tel.: (+55 31) 3551-1488
Pousada dos Inconfidentes
Praça Tiradentes, 134, Centre. Tel.: (+55 31) 3551-5276
Pousada Bela Vista
Rua Padre Rolim, 964, São Cristóvão. Tel.: (+55 31) 3551-3639
Where to eat
Casa dos Contos
Rua Camilo de Brito, 21, Centre. Tel.: (+55 31) 3551-5359
Casa do Ouvidor
Rua Conde de Bobadela, 42, Centre. Tel.: (+55 31) 3551-2141
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
