The Pirulito
Centenary obelisk.
Eugenio Hansen, OFS — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Andrevruas — CC BY 3.0 · Andrevruas — CC BY 3.0 · Tiago Macedo — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Paulo Andrade — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Rodrigocabral2019 — CC BY-SA 4.0
Praça Sete de Setembro, «7 September Square», popularly «Praça Sete», is the heart of Belo Horizonte's business district, where Avenida Afonso Pena meets Avenida Amazonas, the two main axes of the original plan drawn up by the engineer Aarão Reis in the late 19th century, when the city was built to replace Ouro Preto as capital of Minas Gerais. The square had other names before taking its present one in 1922, during the celebrations for the centenary of Brazil's independence. At its centre stands a granite obelisk, officially the Monument to the Centenary of Independence and known to locals as the «Pirulito», the lollipop. Designed by the architect Antônio Rego after a competition, it was unveiled on 7 September 1924, a gift from the people of Capela Nova do Betim. In the 1960s the obelisk was moved to Savassi square, and it returned here in 1980. Today the square is where crowds gather for celebrations and demonstrations, ringed by shops and office buildings, and it is crossed on a walk between the Municipal Park and the Central Market. Pass through by day and keep an eye on belongings.
Centenary obelisk.
Aarão Reis's plan.
Shops and crowds.
Junction of Avenida Afonso Pena and Avenida Amazonas, central Belo Horizonte
Praça da EstaçãoPraça Rui Barbosa, known to everyone as «Station Square», was Belo Horizonte's f7 minutes walk4.4
Museu de Artes e OfíciosThe Museum of Arts and Crafts opened on 14 December 2005 as the first Brazilian 7 minutes walk4.9
Mercado Central, Belo HorizonteThe Mercado Central is Belo Horizonte's best-known market, filling a whole block8 minutes walk4.6
Parque Municipal (Belo Horizonte)The Américo Renné Giannetti Municipal Park is Belo Horizonte's oldest park and t9 minutes walk4.6
Praça Raul SoaresPraça Raul Soares is one of Belo Horizonte's largest and best-planned squares, l10 minutes walkThe Monument to the Centenary of Independence, nicknamed the «Pirulito», unveiled on 7 September 1924.