Ouro Preto (English Version)

Paulo César, History teacher from Centro Educacional Leonardo da Vinci, lectured on Ouro Preto - Brazilian city, cradle of the gold mining in Brazil and stage of disputes for power when our country was still a Portuguese colony. This class is part of a project on Baroque Era, created by our Arts Workshop, with the 8th grade students.



The Ouro Preto region was found during an expedition commanded by Duarte Lopes, whose purpose was capturing Indians to work as slaves, when a mulatto, that was with the group, found some small stones. Duarte Lopes, foreseeing their value, gave them to the governor of Rio de Janeiro, Artur of Sá, who verified it as being gold.



In the year of 1698, the gold began to be explored and, next to the mines, a camp was created. On July 8th, 1711, it was promoted to villa, Vila Rica de Albuquerque, and, later on, it was called Vila Rica.



The increasing production of gold made the city rich, temples and palaces were built, and through an ordinance from February 24, 1923, Vila Rica was declared the capital Minas Gerais County. On March 20th of the same year its name was changed to Ouro Preto, Imperial City.



One of the most outstanding characteristics of Ouro Preto is the Baroque art. The adoption of that style is directly linked to the discovery of the mines and the consequent wealth of some citizens. The Brazilian Baroque coincided with the birth of the national conscience and became the first possibility of artistic expression in the country.



The Baroque appeared in Europe and tried to establish a synthesis among the renaissance thought (when the man was the measure of all the things, in a reference to the classic Greco-Roman antiquity culture) and the thought of the Medium Age (focused mainly on the after-life world).



In the cities near to Minas Gerais, especially in Ouro Preto, the Minas Gerais baroque style appeared, transferring to the temples part of the wealth generated by the gold.



The most famous architect, carver and sculptor from Vila Rica was Antônio Francisco Lisboa, most know as Aleijadinho. He is the most important representative of the Baroque art in Brazil. Among its sculptures, stand out The Twelve Prophets and The Passion Steps, in Congonhas, besides countless works in Ouro Preto and in the neighbor cities.

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