"Black Gold" Ouro Prêto by maharaja_joe

Ouro Preto, meaning Black Gold, experienced its gold rush in the 18th century. It is a very small place, with lots of churches that are atleast a couple of centuries old. The churches are decorated with gold and are made in the classic portuguese style. It is a marvel to see the awe inspiring works of Aleijadinho.

We travelled in a car from Campinas to Ouro Preto. It was a beautiful trip ... miles of coffee plantations .... small villages on the hillocks .. constantly getting lost, but enjoying the trip along the way.

Most of the churches are still in use .... I attended mass at the church of St. Francis de Assisi. Quite a moving experience.

Streets of Ouro Preto

Ouro Preto is also a university city .... very very beautiful with cobbled streets that wind up and down the hillocks. The Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto has approximately 8000 students, who live in frat houses called repúblicas, each of which has a name and logo on a flag outside the house. My favorite was "Snoopy". Needless to say, there are many parties in the republicas, especially on the weekends. The rest of the village is usually quiet, especially the parts near the churches.

Me in a Miners hat, after visiting a gold mine

Ouro Preto has some functional mines. You can actually take a trip down one of the gold mines. It is said that the native indians who were first enslaved to work in the mines somehow did not survive the harsh conditions. Africans were used instead, and that is how the first Africans came to this region.

You can hike down one of the mines .. the walls of the cave still glitter a bit due to gold dust