Welcome to "Villa Rica"
Ouro Preto City Tour
A little history

( Night view with Saint Francis of Assis Church )
Vista noturna

The bandeirantes (flag bearing explorers from São Paulo) of the 17th century travelled to the interior of Brazil searching for mineral riches and for natives to enslave.
On one of these expeditions, in 1694, they found gold along the shores of the stream of Tripuí.
The peak known as Itacolomi and the Hill of Ouro Preto became their geographical reference points.
In 1698, Antônio Dias de Oliveira and Father João de Faria Fialho arrived and established the encampments of Ouro Preto (Black Gold), Antônio Dias, Padre Faria, Ouro Podre (Rotten Gold), and Ouro Fino (Fine Gold).
These encampments later grew into Vila Rica de Nossa Senhora do Pilar e Albuquerque, today Ouro Preto.
The gold, abundant and of excellent quality, formed the foundation of Vila Rica in 1711.
In 1720, the first conspiracy against the Portuguese Crown was formed, due to the various taxes charged, on all of the gold that was found.
This riot was repressed with extreme violence by the colonizors.
When the captaincy of Minas Gerais, was created independent of São Paulo, Vila Rica became the most important center in the colony.
The height of gold discovery occured between 1720 and 1750, and caused a profound surge in cultural aexpression at this time throughout Vila Rica.
The process of urbanization was marked by the construction of the Governor's Palace, the demarcation of the main square, the improvement of existent chapels, and the construction of new churches, bridges, fountains, and houses.
All of this prosperity brought with it an intellectual and artistic elite, which in turn stimulated artistic development as well as ideas of nationality.
In the closing decades of the 18th century, a decline of gold in the mines, coupled with new taxes from the Portuguese Crown, brought poverty and oppression to the populace.
This set the stage for a conspiracy known as the Inconfidência Mineira.
This was the first Brazilian movement for libertation from colonial rule, and had the participation of judges, military, clergy, intellectuals, and the general population.
( Municipal Theater )
Teatro Municipal
The movement was led by Joaquim José da Silva Xavier, known as Tiradentes.
Before the actual plan could be carried out, the conspiratiors were betrayed by a member of their own group and sent to prision in 1789.
In 1792, after having served three years in prision, Tiradentes was hung.
Some of the others stayed in prison while others were sent to Portuguese penal colonies in Africa.
In 1822, the dream of the Inconfidentes (revolutionaries) was realized, Brazil won its independence.
In 1823, Vila Rica received the name Ouro Preto and was elevated to the capital city of Minas Gerais, a position held until 1897.
In that year, Belo Horizonte, the new state capital, was inaugurated.
On July 12, 1933, Ouro Preto was declared a "National Monument City".
Then, on September 2, 1980, Unesco designated the city a world monument, the "Cultural Patrimony for All Mankind".

ItemThe cultural city
ItemMuseums
ItemChurches and chapels
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