The transformation of Ouro Preto in 140 years, overlooking

The transformation of Ouro Preto in 140 years, overlooking the Church of São Francisco de Assis. The first mining towns were created exclusively for the extraction of gold, in the 18th century. Around 1700, some pioneers discovered numerous gold nuggets in river streams in present-day Minas Gerais. The news spread, generating a population diaspora for the region. Usually, the gold was stuck in dark stones, in which the gold was extracted. Hence the name of the city: Ouro Preto. The village was founded in 1711 under another name: Vila Rica, becoming the headquarters of the captaincy of Minas Gerais in 1720. The Gold Cycle attracted thousands of Portuguese to Brazil, making mining the country's main activity. The flow of emigrants from Portugal was so great that, in 1720, Dom João V created laws to control immigration, fearing a diaspora. Several poor Portuguese divided large areas of gold mining, while the rich bought the land. In 1730, it had 40 thousand inhabitants, the most populous city in Latin America. In 1760, it had more than 80 thousand, the most populous city in America, with 2x the population of New York. However, the urban area of ​​Vila Rica encompassed the current cities of Congonhas, Ouro Branco and Itabirito. While Brazil had around 300 thousand settlers and pioneers in 1690, in 1790 it had 3 million inhabitants, 20% of whom were enslaved. African slavery, which was a majority only in the northeast and Rio de Janeiro, has also become one of the economic pillars of the southeast. At the same time, the Portuguese Crown decreed Portuguese as a national language, replacing the old Tupi. Gold increased Portugal's wealth by imposing large taxes on the Brazilian colony. As of 1760, the flow of ore fell throughout Brazil and the population of Vila Rica was reduced. In 1823, Vila Rica changed its name to Ouro Preto, capital until 1897, later replaced by Belo Horizonte. Only around 1920 did the concern to preserve the colonial heritage of Minas Gerais arise. Today, Ouro Preto has 74 thousand inhabitants, one of the first cities in the world chosen to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in 1980. Posted by @geopizza