Praca de Tiradentes

Another week, another UNESCO heritage site

---

February 29th 2008
From Belo Horizonte I went to spend a few days in the former portuguese colonial town of Ouro Preto. Yes - another UNESCO world heritage site - Brazil is not all about Rio and carnival. During the gold boom in the 18th century Ouro Preto (portuguese for black gold) was one of the most populous towns in Brazil (100, 000 people compared to 20,000 in Rio). The rich source of gold in the town meant th ... read more

South America » Brazil » Minas Gerais » Ouro Preto

---

Following three centuries under the rule of Portugal, Brazil became an independent nation in 1822. By far the largest and most populous country in South America, Brazil overcame more than half a century of military intervention in the governance of t... ... read more