Ouro Preto

Ouro Preto
Municipality
Praça Tiradentes, Ouro Preto
Museum of Betraval and Tiradentes Square
Flag Seal
Country	Brazil
State	Minas Gerais
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name: Historic Town of Ouro Preto
Type:	Cultural
Criteria:	i, III
Designated:	1980 (4th session)
Reference No.	124
State Party:	Brazil
Region:	Latin America and the Caribbean

Ouro Preto (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈoɾu ˈpɾetu], Black Gold) is a city in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, a former colonial mining town located in the Serra do Espinhaço mountains and designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO because of its outstanding Baroque architecture.

Geography

Important Data

Population: Data from the 2010 Census (IBGE)

• Resident population: 70,227 (2010 Census)
• Urban area: 56,293
• Rural area: 9,985
• Area of the municipality: 1,245 km²
• Temperature: between 6 and 28 degrees Celsius. In June and July the temperature can reach -2 degrees Celsius.
• Average elevation: 1,116 m. The highest point is Pico de Itacolomi with 1,722 meters.
• The city has twelve districts: Amarantina, Antônio Pereira, Cachoeira do Campo, Engenheiro Correia, Glaura, Lavras Novas, Miguel Burnier, Santa Rita, Santo Antônio do Leite, Santo Antônio do Salto, São Bartolomeu and Rodrigo Silva.
• Rivers: sources for the Velhas, Piracicaba, Gualaxo do Norte, Gualaxo do Sul, Mainart e Ribeirão Funil.
• Per Capita Income: R$ 23,622 (US$13,544.73)
• HDI: 0.788 (Medium)

Location

Ouro Preto location in Minas Gerais state.

The city is linked by good roads to:

• Belo Horizonte 100 km
• Rio de Janeiro 475 km
• São Paulo 675 km
• Brasília 840 km

Bordering municipalities are:

• North: Itabirito and Santa Bárbara
• South: Ouro Branco, Catas Altas da Noruega, Piranga and Itaverava
• East: Mariana
• West: Belo Vale and Congonhas

Climate

Ouro Preto has a humid subtropical climate (Cwa, according to the Köppen climate classification), with warm and humid summers and mild, dry winters.

History

Igreja de São Francisco de Assis (Church of Saint Francis of Assisi)

Founded at the end of the 17th century, Ouro Preto (meaning Black Gold) was originally called Vila Rica, or "rich village", the focal point of the gold rush and Brazil's golden age in the 18th century under Portuguese rule.

The city centre contains well-preserved Portuguese colonial architecture, with few signs of modern urban life. Modern construction must adhere to historical standards maintained by the city. 18th- and 19th-century churches decorated with gold and the sculptured works of Aleijadinho make Ouro Preto a prime tourist destination.

The tremendous wealth from gold mining in the 18th century created a city which attracted the intelligentsia of Europe. Philosophy and art flourished, and evidence of a baroque revival called the "Barroco Mineiro" is illustrated in architecture as well as by sculptors such as Aleijadinho, painters such as Mestre Athayde, composers such as Lobo de Mesquita, and poets such as Tomás António Gonzaga. At that time, Vila Rica was the largest city in Brazil, with 100,000 inhabitants.^[2]

In 1789, Ouro Preto became the birthplace of the Inconfidência Mineira, a failed attempt to gain independence from Portugal. The leading figure, Tiradentes, was hanged as a threat to any future revolutionaries.

In 1876, the Escola de Minas (Mines School) was created. This school established the technological foundation for several of the mineral discoveries in Brazil.

Ouro Preto was capital of Minas Gerais from 1720 until 1897, when the needs of government outgrew this town in the valley. The state government was moved to the new, planned city of Belo Horizonte.

The economy

Although Ouro Preto now relies heavily on the tourism industry for part of its economy, there are important metallurgic and mining industries located in town, such as Novelis, former Alcan, the most important aluminum factory in the country, the Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, and others. Main economic activities are tourism, transformation industries, and mineral riches such as deposits of iron, bauxite, manganese, talc and marble.

Minerals of note are: gold, hematite, dolomite, tourmaline, pyrite, muscovite, topaz and imperial topaz. The imperial topaz is a stone only found in Ouro Preto.

Soapstone handicraft items are a popular souvenir among tourists, and can be found in many shops in the town centre and street fairs. Jewelry made of local precious and semi-precious gemstones (such as hematite) can also be found in abundance for sale.

The University and the Repúblicas

Mining School - UFOP

Ouro Preto is also a university town with an intense student life. The Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (Federal University of Ouro Preto or UFOP) has approximately 10,000 students in the city. Many of them live in communal houses that are somewhat similar to fraternity houses as found in North American colleges. These communal or shared houses are called repúblicas, of which 66 belong to the university, called repúblicas federais, and 250 are privately owned (repúblicas particulares).

The repúblicas system of Ouro Preto in unique in Brazil. No other university city in the country has exactly the same characteristics of the student lodging found there. In many ways, the lodging is similar to that found in Portuguese universities such as the Coimbra and the tradition may have come from there. Before universities were founded in Brazil, Coimbra was where most of the rich students who could afford an overseas education went to. Each república has its own different history. There are repúblicas in which the freshmen, also known as "bixos" (misspelling of "bichos", Portuguese for "animals"), have to undergo a hazing period, called batalha (battle), before being accepted permanently as residents of the houses. The final choice of the freshmen, called escolha, has to be unanimous among the senior students of the house.^[3]

The Museu Mineralógico Da Escola De Minas (Mineralogy Museum) can be of special interest to visitors. It belongs to the Mining School of the prestigious Ufop. The School opened its doors on 12 October 1876. The Museum is located at the Praça Tiradentes (No. 20), in the town's historical center, and contains a rich assortment of minerals on display, including precious and semi-precious gemstones and large crystals. Security is tight, however (for example, no cameras are allowed), due to the incalculable value of the gemstones and ores on display.

Tourist attractions

Panoramic view.

Ouro Preto is a major tourist destination, for its well-preserved colonial appearance with old buildings and cobblestone streets.

Churches

The city contains numerous churches, many famous for their religious art and baroque architecture. Some of the best known are:

• Nossa Senhora do Carmo (Our Lady of Mount Carmel) - just off Tiradentes Plaza, next to the Inconfidência Museum.
• São Francisco de Assis (St. Francis of Assisi)
• Nossa Senhora da Conceiçao (Immaculate Conception)
• Capela do Padre Faria (Father Faria's Chapel)
• Nossa Senhora das Mercês (Our Lady of Mercy)

Museums

• Museu da Inconfidência - In the former municipal palace on Tiradentes Plaza, traces the Inconfidencia independence movement.
• Museu do Oratório (Oratory Museum) - next to the church of Nossa Senhora do Carmo, displays religious art.
• Museu de Ciência e Téchnica (Museum of Science and Technology) - in the Ouro Preto School of Mines building on Tiradentes Plaza. The museum is noted for its collection of beautiful mineral specimens.
• Casa Dos Contos - Historical museum.

Mines

A number of former gold mines in the city offer tours to tourists. One of the most well known is the Mina do Chico Rei, near the sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Conceição.

Carnival

Street carnival in Ouro Preto attracts thousands of people every year. Traditional band music is played across town, and many people dress up in costumes during the holiday. There are two main types of street parades in town: the one with samba schools and the one with blocos. Carnival usually takes place in February or March, depending on the definition of Lent. It starts on the Saturday immediately before Lent and ends on Ash Wednesday.

The street party is also celebrated in neighbouring towns such as Mariana.

Miscellaneous

Ouro Preto was a setting in the comedy movie Moon over Parador (1988), with actors Richard Dreyfuss and Sonia Braga.

Pictures

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  View of Carmo Church and Inconfidencia Museum

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References

Further reading

• Cheney, Glenn Alan, Journey on the Estrada Real: Encounters in the Mountains of Brazil, (Chicago: Academy Chicago, 2004) ISBN 0-89733-530-9

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ouro Preto.

• Guide of the historic city of Ouro Preto
• Satellite view of the historical center at Google Maps
• Live Cameras from Ouro Preto, 360° Photos, Panoramic Views
• (English) CityMayors feature
• Portal de Ouro Preto
• Portal do Carnaval de Ouro Preto
• Tourism information about Ouro Preto
• Festival de Inverno de Ouro Preto
• Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto
• Official Tourism Site
• Ouro Preto World
• Pictures and information on Ouro Preto
• Photos, wallpapers and information on Ouro Preto
• Ouro Preto Picture Book
• Photosynth interactive pictures of Ouro Preto
• (Portuguese) School of Mines, Federal University of Ouro Preto

v t e World Heritage Sites in Brazil North Region Central Amazon Conservation Complex Northeast Region Brazilian Atlantic Islands Fernando de Noronha and Atol das Rocas Reserves Discovery Coast Atlantic Forest Reserves1 Historic Centre of São Luís Historic Centre of Salvador da Bahia Historic Centre of the Town of Olinda Serra da Capivara National Park Central-West Region Brasília Cerrado Protected Areas Chapada dos Veadeiros and Emas National Park Historic Centre of the Town of Goiás Pantanal Conservation Area Southeast Region Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves1 Discovery Coast Atlantic Forest Reserves1 Historic Centre of the Town of Diamantina Historic Town of Ouro Preto Rio de Janeiro: Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Congonhas South Region Atlantic Forest South-East Reserves1 Iguaçu National Park Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis2 Ruins of São Miguel das Missões 1 Shared with other region/s 2 Shared with Argentina

Coordinates: 20°23′07″S 43°30′13″W / 20.38528°S 43.50361°W / -20.38528; -43.50361