The town of Ouro Preto (then called Villa Rica ) is founded on July 8th, 1711 following the discovery by the bandeirantes (pioneers) of gold in the rivers of the Minas Gerais (Brésil), towards the XVII century end. A crowd of gold diggers, joined soon by tradesmen, comes to settle there to make fortune there.

Ouro Preto quickly becomes a city not only prosperous but also very important: about 1750, it counts more inhabitants than Rio de Janeiro or New York. The richness of the city enables him to build a multitude of churches baroques. With the end of the exploitation of the gold of the Minas Gerais, the city has been given up little by little and for this reason changed very little for this time.

The current city of Ouro Preto thus remains a colonial city, paved. It moreover is built on several hills with the relatively stiff slopes, from where one can benefit from many points of view, which gives him a very particular seal. The city is classified like world heritage of humanity by UNESCO.

External bond

• Site of the city