Ouro Preto

Ouro Preto
Municipality of Ouro Preto
Flag of Ouro Preto
Official seal of Ouro Preto
Motto(s): 
Proetiosum aurum nigrum
(Precious black gold)
Location in Minas Gerais
Location in Minas Gerais
Coordinates: 20°23′07″S 43°30′13″W / 20.38528°S 43.50361°W / -20.38528; -43.50361
Country Brazil
State Minas Gerais
RegionSoutheast
Intermediate RegionBelo Horizonte
Immediate RegionSanta Bárbara-Ouro Preto
Founded8 July 1711
Government
 • MayorÂngelo Oswaldo de Araújo Santos (PV)
Area
 • Total1,245.865 km2 (481.031 sq mi)
Elevation1,150 m (3,770 ft)
Population
 (2020)[3]
 • Total74,558
 • Density60/km2 (150/sq mi)
Demonymouro-pretano
Time zoneUTC−3 (BRT)
HDI (2010)0.741 – high[4]
Websiteouropreto.mg.gov.br
Official nameHistoric Town of Ouro Preto
TypeCultural
Criteriai, iii
Designated1980 (4th session)
Reference no.124
RegionSouth America

Ouro Preto (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈo(w)ɾu ˈpɾetu], lit.'Black Gold'), formerly Vila Rica (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈvilɐ ˈʁikɐ], lit.'Rich Village'), is a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Minas Gerais. The city, a former colonial mining town located in the Serra do Espinhaço mountains, was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO due to its Baroque colonial architecture. Ouro Preto used to be the capital of Minas Gerais from 1720 until the foundation of Belo Horizonte in 1897.

The municipality became one of the most populous cities of Latin America, counting on about 40,000 people in 1730 and, decades after, 80,000. At that time, the population of New York was less than half of that number of inhabitants and the population of São Paulo did not surpass 8,000.[5] Officially, 800 tons of gold were sent to Portugal in the eighteenth century, not to mention what was circulated in an illegal manner, nor what remained in the colony, such as gold used in the ornamentation of the churches.[6]

Other historical cities in Minas Gerais are São João del-Rei, Diamantina, Mariana, Tiradentes, Congonhas and Sabará.

  1. ^ "IBGE Ouro Preto". IBGE. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  2. ^ "Ouro Preto Localização". Prefeitura Municipal de Ouro Preto. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  3. ^ IBGE 2020
  4. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 8, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ "Ouro Preto". Archived from the original on 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2016-03-04.
  6. ^ "Ouro Preto". Archived from the original on 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2016-03-04.