São José dos Campos, São Paulo - Sábado, 21 de abril de 2018
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Around Brazil

The historic cities of Minas Gerais

Ouro Preto, Mariana, Tiradentes, São João del Rei, Congonhas and Sabará are cities that have a lot more to offer tourists than just beautiful scenery. They have preserved colonial-style mansions [1] and old churches that were built between the 17th and 19th centuries. These cities are home to much of Brazil's Baroque [2] art collection, as well as Gold Cycle relics [3]. Check out below a brief description of the cities that have preserved their cultural traditions


 

Ouro Preto was discovered by chance [4] by the pioneers in the 17th century. They were trying to enslave indigenous people, but ended up finding gold. The region used to be called Vila Rica, and was then changed to Ouro Preto. In 1980 Ouro Preto was made a UNESCO Cultural Heritage [5]  site. The city houses the largest collection of Baroque architecture in Brazil and several old churches that are home to great works of Baroque religious art. This beautiful city is located in a mountainous region with waterfalls [6], hiking trails [7] and a huge area of native forest. The city is also famous for its lively street carnival and for being home to one of the largest universities in the state of Minas Gerais - the Federal University (UFOP). Another important attraction in the city is Tiradentes Square [8], in the city center. Tourist will find the Museum of the Conspiracy [9] there, which contains over 4,000 objects from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, representing Brazil's colonial period. Ouro Preto has a population of just over 70,000 people and is 96 km from Belo Horizonte. It is also home to the oldest theater in the country, opened in 1770.

Matéria publicada na edição de número 86 da revista Maganews.

Áudio – Thiago Ribeiro.

Vocabulary

1 mansions  - casarões

2 baroque – barroco

3 Gold Cycle relics – relíquias do Ciclo do Ouro

4 by chance – por acaso

5 Cultural Heritage – Patrimônio Cultural

6 waterfall – cachoeira

7 hiking trails - trilhas

8 square – praça

9  Museum of the Conspiracy – Museu da Inconfidência