Town squares
Council house and jail.
HVL — CC BY 4.0 · clarissapacheco — CC BY 2.0 · Rafael Lemieszek — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rkieferbaum — CC BY-SA 4.0
Mariana, 18 km east of Ouro Preto, calls itself the primaz de Minas: it was the first village, first city, first bishopric and first capital of Minas Gerais. Portuguese explorers found gold here in July 1696, and the town grew on that very spot, in a river valley ringed by rocky escarpments. Its compact historic centre keeps colonial houses, churches and the council house and jail around its squares, the first of which was laid out at the founding ceremony around a pillory, the symbol of the town's new self-government. Mariana lies on the Caminho dos Diamantes section of the Estrada Real, the largest tourist route in Brazil. It is an easy half-day trip by road from Ouro Preto, and the Mina da Passagem gold mine lies in its district, between the two towns.
Council house and jail.
Since 1696.
Diamond route.
Historic centre, Mariana, Minas Gerais
By road, about 18 km; half a day is enough to explore its historic centre.