Belo Horizonte, which has been capital of Minas Gerais since 1897, lies in the middle south of the state. It is laid out on a regular grid plan modeled on that of Washingtom DC. The hills round the city are so full of iron that in many of the outer areas automobiles in neutral gear are drawn uphill by magnetic force: all the local guides and taxi-drivers know of such places.
Bus station
Praça Rio Branco
Access
Belo Horizonte has an international airport (Aeroporto Internacional Tancredo Neves) to the north, in the commune of Lagoa Santa, which is linked with the city by MG 010 (Estrada Velha de Confins), and a domestic airport (Aeroporto de Pampulha).
The city is surrounded by a ring road which is joined by BR 040 (Rio de Janeiro-Brasília), BR 381 (São Paulo-Belo Horizonte) and BR 262 (Vitória-Belo Horizonte).
History
The origins of Belo Horizonte go back to a gold-diggers' settlement called Curral del Rei which was founded in 1701. Then the gold ran out and the development of Curral del Rei slowed down. In 1890 it was renamed Belo Horizonte, and seven years later became capital of Minas Gerais state.
Praça da Liberdade (Freedom Square), in the city center, was designed to be the center of state administration. On the square are the Palácio do Governo (Government House) and the Biblioteca Pública (Public Library). A series of markets are held in the square - craft products (Thursday and Sunday), flowers (Friday), antiques and foodstuffs (Saturday).
A little way to the west in Rua da Bahia, near Avenida Pedro Alvares Cabral, is the Museu de Mineralogia, housed in a building of 1914 formerly occupied by the Câmara (city administration). The museum comprises a mineralogical research center and a rich collection of minerals from Minas Gerais, ranging from gold and diamonds by way of amethysts and emeralds to sapphires, aquamarines and topazes.
The Aeroporto Confins or Aeroporto Tancredo Neves as it is also called, is the international airport. It is located approximately 40 km from Belo Horizonte's city center.
On the north side of the city center on the wide Avenida Afonso Pena, is the large Parque Municipal, with fine trees, a lake (boat hire), various gardens, aviaries, a display of orchids and a theatre.
On Avenida João Pinheiro, which runs from the Municipal Park to the Praça da Liberdade, are the Museu Mineiro and the State Picture Gallery, housed in the former Senate building.
In Rua Gustavo da Silveira, in the Santa Inàs district, is the Jardim Botânico, with the Instituto Agronómico, which houses the Museu de História Natural.
Address: Museu de História Natural Jardim Botânico, Rua Gustavo da Silveira, 1035, Santa Inês, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais 31080, Brazil
On the south-western edge of the Municipal Park, on Avenida Afonso Pena, is the Palácio das Artes, which houses a cinema, a theatre, a library, conference rooms, an art gallery and the Minas Gerais Craft Center, which offers for sale craft products of soapstone, wood, clay, pewter, silver and other materials.
Some distance west of Praça da Liberdade, in the district of Santo Agostinho, is the Assambléia Legislativa (Parliament). 1km/.7mi south of this, in Rua Bernardo Mascarenhas, is the Museu Histórico Abílio Barreto, housed in the Fazenda do Leitão, the nucleus of the original settlement. The museum has a rich collection of photographs, with old and modern views of Belo Horizonte which illustrate the development of the city in the 20th century.
Belo Horizonte lies in the heart of the "iron square", the gold- and diamond-mining area worked in the 18th century. Seams of gold were discovered in Belo Horizonte itself and in Betim, one of the neighboring industrial towns. It is, therefore, a good center from which to visit the old gold-diggers' towns to the south and south-east - São João del Rei, Congonhas, Ouro Preto, Mariana, Sabará, Caeté, Diamantina and many more.
Of particular interest is the large Gruta do Maquiné, one of the oldest Brazilian caves not connected with a religious cult now open to the public. It was first described in 1837 by the Danish scientist Peter G. Lund, who considered it unique on the American continent.
The cave has six underground passages with a total length of 5km/3mi; one of them is vaulted and resembles a gigantic hall or chamber. The stalactite formations are notable for their bizarre shapes, resembling bells, shells, horses' hooves, etc. In some places they take the form of high travertine walls. Guides conduct visitors through the immense cave, one of the few in Brazil with electric light.
Among the principal attractions of Cordisburgo is the house of Guimarães Rosa (d. 1967), now a museum containing personal mementoes of the novelist, furniture from the region, implements used by the cattle-herds of the cerrado (the bush steppe of central Brazil), etc.
The large Parque Mangabeiras, 6km/4mi from the city in the Serra do Curral, where the source streams of the Rio das Velhas join, contains a stretch of primeval forest, a lake, several springs, sports grounds, an open-air theatre and an amphitheatre. From the entrance (on left) buses run round trips through the park. From the Mirante da Mata (viewpoint) there is a magnificent view of Belo Horizonte.
Near the Serra do Curral, still within the area of Greater Belo Horizonte, is the nature reserve of Mata do Jambreiro (area 912 hectares/2253 acres). The vegetation in the reserve is characteristic of the mata atlântica, the typical Brazilian coastal forest. More than 123 species of birds and ten species of mammals live in the reserve.
In the commune of Nova Lima, south-east of the center of Belo Horizonte, is the Morro Velho gold mine, which was discovered in 1835 and has been worked continuously since then. Its shafts drive more than 2500m/2750yds into the earth.
23km/14mi north-east of Belo Horizonte is the thermal resort of Santa Luzia, which has preserved the historic nucleus of the town. In the town center is the Fonte dos Camelos, an alkaline chalybeate spring. Notable among the town's colonial buildings are the Igreja do Rosário (Church of the Rosary; 1756), the Igreja do Santuário (1721-78) and the palaces of Teixeira da Costa (1745) and Baronesa (now occupied by the Prefecture) - all in Rua Direita. 12km/7.5mi outside the city is the Macaúbas monastery (1714-33).
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Cordisburgo - Casa de Guimarães Rosa
