Diamantina

Diamantina is a unique city, even if it is compared with the other historic towns of Minas Gerais. It is situated in the beautiful, dry and mountainous landscape of the Serro do Espinhaço mountains, far north of the other colonial towns of Minas. The city’s 18th century buildings are located on steep slopes and date from the time in which diamonds where mined in this region. Even today, the mining of precious stones remains important for the economy of Diamantina.

Diamantina is a well-preserved historic city. It is less rich than Ouro Preto but its landscape is unique. As Diamantina is a little bit of the beaten track, it is not yet touched by mass tourism.

Among Brazilians, Diamantina is a popular place to celebrate Carnival. And it has a great Carnival indeed! Although the city fills up with people, it remains much safer and more relaxed than Rio de Janeiro or Salvador during Carnival.

Getting there
Diamantina is well accessible by car or by bus from Belo Horizonte and from Brasília. Other roads may to be unpaved. Diamantina is situated at a distance of 300 km north of Belo Horizonte and usually takes about 4 hours to travel from this town to Diamantina. Fortunately, the beautiful landscape compensates the time spent along this road.

The road from Belo Horizonte to Diamantina passes through Sete Lagoas. It is possible to visit Gruta Rei do Mato in Sete Lagoas first and to travel to Diamantina next. The bus does not enter Sete Lagoas but it stops near the Polícia Rodoviária. This police station is located near the famous Gruta Rei do Mato cave.

History
The Bandeirantes founded the settlement Arraial do Tijuco in 1713. Bandeirantes were participants of expeditions to the inland of Brazil in search of Amerindian slaves, minerals and other commodities. They came in a region that the Amerindians called Ivituruí. Ivituruí means “cold mountains”. With an average temperature of 18.1 °C (the average maximum temperature is about 23.8º C) this region is a lot cooler than the tropical lowlands.

The first diamonds were found in this region during the 1720-ties. A few years earlier, the Portuguese had to fight a bitter war to put the goldmines in other parts of Minas Gerais under their control. This time the Portuguese Crown acted forcefully. Because of Diamantina’s isolated location, they managed to gain control over the mining of diamonds. Diamond mines became a state monopoly between 1729 and 1845, the actual mining was done by contractors.

As a result of the large amounts of diamonds that were found in this region, the price of diamonds dropped world wide. In the 1730-ties, the Portuguese put a moratorium of 5 years on the mining of diamonds. As a result of this, the prices of diamonds increased again. It also gave the Portuguese the opportunity to gain better control over the diamond fields.

Diamantina developed one of the most exclusive upper class societies of Brazil. These aristocrats paid a lot of attention to music, theatre and architecture. The extremely rich diamond contractor João Fernandes de Oliveira built an enormous house for his mistress and (former) slave Chica da Silva. According to the legend, he even arranged that the bell tower of the church was build on the backside of the church to avoid that Chica’s sleep would be disturbed by the ringing of the bells. This is the only Brazilian baroque church with a bell tower on the backside.

Diamantina was granted city rights in 1831. At that occasion, the name Arraial do Tijuco was changed in Vila de Diamantina. One century later, in 1938, Diamantina was listed as part of the Brazilian national patrimony.

President Juscelino Kubitschek was born in Diamantina in 1902. Kubitschek was the president who built Brazil’s new capital Brasília and Brazilians say that Kubitschek was the president that made 50 years of progress in 5 years. Oscar Niemeyer, the main architect of Brasília, designed the Hotel Tijuca in Diamantina in the 1950-ties.

Attractions
Casa de Chica da Silva
Between 1755 and 1770, this large mansion was the home of the diamond contractor João Fernandes de Oliveira and his lover, the (former) slave Chica da Silva. Next to the house is a small chapel. The mansion houses a small museum that is dedicated to Chica da Silva.

Venue: Praça Lobo de Mesquita.
Open: Tuesdays to Saturdays, 12.00 – 17.30 hours; Sundays 9.00 – 12.00 hours

Museu do Diamante
This 18th century building was property of José de Oliveira e Silva Rolim who was arrested for his participation in the freedom movement “Inconfidência Mineira”. At present, the building houses a museum on diamond mining.

Venue: Rua Direita 14
Open: Tuesdays to Saturdays, 9.00 – 10.30 hours and 12.00 - 16:30 hours, Sundays, 9.00 – 11.30 hours and 14.00 - 15.30 hours

Casa da Glória
The Casa da Glória consists of two houses that were connected by a blue passageway in 1876. This blue passageway is the post card of Diamantina. The oldest house once belonged to Josefa Maria da Glória, hence the name Casa da Glória (“house Gloria”). At present, the Casa da Glória is property of the Federal University of Minas Gerais.

Venue: Rua da Glória

Slave Road (Camino dos Escravos)
The Camino dos Escravos is a road that was cut through the rocks and paved by slaves. It has a length of about 20 km. The trail served to transport diamonds and commodities.

Waterfalls
Several waterfalls can be found in the surroundings of Diamantina. The Cachoeira Sentinela consists of a number of waterfalls and is located at a distance of 7 km from Diamantina. Under the waterfall Cachoeira das Fadas (25 m altitude) is a natural swimming pool that is surrounded by vegetation. Unfortunately, this waterfall is located at a distance of 49 km of Diamantina and only 10 km of the road to the Cachoeira das Fadas is paved. The Cachoeira dos Cristais is considered to be the most beautiful waterfall near Diamantina and is located at a distance of 14 km from this city.

Churches

Diamantina has a large number of churches in the baroque style that is typical to Minas Gerais, the Barroco Mineiro. The interior of these 18th century churches is decorated with a lot of gold, reflecting its abundance in this region at the time in which these churches were built.

Igreja Nossa Senhora do Carmo
This church was built between 1760 and 1765. This church has a large organ with gold plated pipes. It is the only baroque church in Brazil with a bell tower at its backside. According to the legend, this was done to take care that Chica da Silva would not awake by the sound of the bells. Her lover, João Fernandes de Oliveira, paid for the construction of this church.

Venue: Rua do Rosário
Open: Tuesdays to Saturdays, 9.00 – 12.00 hours and 14.00 – 18.00 hours; Sundays 9.00 -12.00 hours

Igreja Nossa Senhora do Rosário
This is one of the oldest churches of Diamantina (1731). This church was used by slaves and former slaves. This church has a beautiful rococo façade.

Venue: Largo do Rosário
Open: Tuesdays to Saturdays, 9.00 – 12.00 hours and 14.00 – 18.00 hours; Sundays 9.00 – 12.00 hours.

Igreja de São Francisco
This church was built between 1766 and 1772. It is a fine example of the baroque of Minas Gerais.

Venue: Rua São Francisco
Open: Tuesdays to Saturdays, 9.00 – 12.00 hours and 14.00 – 18.00 hours; Sundays 9.00 - 12.00 hours.

Catedral de Santo Antônio
This church is less old that it seems. The building dates from 1940. This church replaced the old cathedral. It is a striking building.