Ouro Prêto

Historic Town of Ouro Preto*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party	Brazil
Type	Cultural
Criteria
Reference	124
Region**	Latin America and the Caribbean
Inscription history
Inscription	1980  (4th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO.

Vila Rica do Ouro Preto (from Portuguese, Black Gold Rich Village) 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.

Important Data

Population: Data from the 2000 Census (IBGE)

• Resident population: 66,277
• 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.
• Climate: Tropical with altitude. Average rainfall of 2,018 mm/year, with irregular distribution. Rains concentrated in the summer.

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

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 the focal point of the gold rush and Brazil's golden age in the 18th century under Portuguese rule.

The city contains well preserved colonial architecture, with few signs of modern urban life. Churches decorated with gold and the works of Aleijadinho make Ouro Preto a tourist destination. In colonial times art was fairly advanced and developed into the "Barroco Mineiro", with many sculptors (Aleijadinho), painters (Mestre Athayde), composers (Lobo de Mesquita family), poets (Thomas Gonzaga).

In 1789, Ouro Preto became the birthplace of the Inconfidência Mineira, a failed attempt to gain independence from Portugal and form a Brazilian republic.

In 1876, the Escola de Minas (Minas 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 1822 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 tourist industry for part of its economy, there are important metallurgic and mining industries located in the city, such as Alcan - Alumínio do Brasil, 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, talcum 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.

The University and the "Republics"

Mining School - UFOP

Ouro Preto is also a university city with an intense student life. The Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (Federal University of Ouro Preto) has approximately 8,000 students. Many live in communal houses, similar to fraternity houses, called "repúblicas" of which there are 66 belonging to the university, called "repúblicas federais" and 250 "repúblicas particulares", privately owned.

The "republics" of Ouro Preto are unique in Brazil. No other university city has the characteristics of the student lodging found here. In many ways they are similar to lodgings in Portuguese universities such as Coimbra and the tradition may have come from there. Each one has its different history. There are republics in which the freshmen, known as "bixos" (misspelling of "bichos", Portuguese for "animals"), have to undergo a hazing period, called "batalha" (battle), to be accepted definitely as residents of the houses. The choice called "escolha", has to be unanimous^[1].

Of special interest to visitors is the Museu Mineralógico Da Escola De Minas (Mineralogy Museum), belonging to the Mining School of the prestigious Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP). The School opened its doors on 12 October, 1876. The Museum is located at the Praça Tiradentes (No. 20), in the city historical center. Probably no other place on earth has such a rich assortment of raw minerals on display, including precious and semi-precious gemstones and crystals of astounding dimensions. Security is tight, however, and for good reasons (for example, no cameras are allowed), due to the incalculable value of the gemstones and ores on display.

Miscellaneous

The beautiful town of Ouro Preto was the most remarkable of the settings chosen for the humorous movie "Moon Over Parador" (1988), with actors Richard Dreyfuss and Sonia Braga playing the main characters in the story.

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

• Satellite view of the historical center at Google Maps
• (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
• (Portuguese) School of Mines, Federal University of Ouro Preto

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