A Visit to the City of Black Gold

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A Visit to the City of Black Gold

BY AWAKE! WRITER IN BRAZIL

YOU may never have heard of the Brazilian town of Ouro Prêto, but in the 18th century, its population was three times larger than was that of New York City, and its revenues once provided the funds to rebuild the earthquake-leveled city of Lisbon in Portugal. In 1980, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization added Ouro Prêto to the World Heritage List, now including nearly 700 sites that excel in cultural and natural value. Why was Ouro Prêto given this status? Consider the history of this unique town.

A Golden Drink

During the first half of the 17th century, scores of Portuguese explorers, called bandeirantes, scouted Brazil in search of new land, Indian slaves, and gold. One expedition pushed inland until it reached Itacolomi Mountain. There, Duarte Lopes approached a brook to quench his thirst. He scooped some water into his wooden bowl and drank. Then he noticed small black stones in the bowl.

Lopes sold the stones to a friend who, suspecting that they were valuable, sent them to the governor of Rio de Janeiro. On examining the stones, the governor saw that they were of the finest gold covered by a thin, black layer of iron oxide. But where did the gold come from? As soon as Lopes described Itacolomi, the search was on. In 1698, bandeirante Antônio Dias de Oliveira found the mountain from which it had come. At breakneck pace, gold hunters rushed to an encampment near the find, later called Vila Rica. Before long, Vila Rica had 80,000 inhabitants. In time, it became the capital of Minas Gerais and was named Ouro Prêto, meaning “Black Gold.”

Black Gold Turns Red

Between 1700 and 1820, prospectors mined 1,200 tons of gold—80 percent of the gold produced worldwide during that time. But where did all that gold go? Mined gold was cast into bars at the Casa dos Contos, or House of Coinage. After that, one fifth of the gold, the levied tax, ended up in the treasure chest of Portugal’s royal family.

The colonists opposed the tax. One of them was Felipe dos Santos, who roused miners, military men, and church members against the Portuguese Crown. But the Portuguese fought back. In 1720, dos Santos was hanged and his body was dragged through the streets by horses. The miners went back to the pits, and the taxes continued to rise.

However, this was only a temporary stop to rebellion. Later in the same century came Joaquim da Silva Xavier, nicknamed Tiradentes, meaning “tooth puller”—a reference to one of his jobs. He was among a group of poets, jurists, and military men of Ouro Prêto who met regularly in the house of Toledo, a priest. At first, the conversations were mostly philosophical banter, but then they switched to the politics of those days. Later their conversations turned rebellious when the group discussed, in whispered tones, the suffocating demands of the Portuguese Crown. Portugal’s queen, Dona Maria I, had warned that rebels would be beheaded. Nevertheless, in 1788, Tiradentes, then a military ensign, took the lead in the Inconfidência Mineira, or the Rebellion of the State of Minas Gerais.

A spy disclosed the names of the conspirators. One by one, they were arrested and exiled to Africa to die. Tiradentes languished in a humid prison cell in Rio de Janeiro until he was hanged and beheaded on April 21, 1792. Tiradentes’ head was displayed on a post in Ouro Prêto’s city square, and his quartered limbs were staked along several roads. For the time being, this discouraged any potential rebels. But three decades later, in 1822, Brazil gained its independence from Portugal.

Treasures of Art, History, and Religion

In time, Ouro Prêto’s gold ran out, and then its importance declined. But the town retained some artifacts and other reminders of its history. Some of these are easily found in the Inconfidência Museum, located at Praça Tiradentes. Formerly used as a town hall and prison, the museum keeps the memories of art, history, and the town’s tragedy alive.

The displays include Tiradentes’ death warrant, issued by Dona Maria I, and pieces of the gallows used for his execution. Under masonry slabs, laid out in a row like beds in a dormitory, are buried the remains of some of Tiradentes’ fellow conspirators. On another floor the rooms safeguard antique, colonial, and imperial furnishings.

Gemstone Utopia

A walk to the upper end of Praça Tiradentes leads to another treasure chest—the Governor’s Palace, which used to accommodate governors and State presidents. Presently, it houses the Escola de Minas, a school for advanced studies in mine engineering, geology, and metallurgy. The school’s museum majestically showcases an outstanding collection of 20,000 samples of 3,000 different types of minerals, gemstones, crystals and, of course, ouro prêto, black gold.

Gold is no longer a major resource today. Nevertheless, the region continues to yield aquamarine and emerald beryls and yellow imperial topaz. Some 50 years ago, the art of gem cutting was known only to a handful of experts. But today there are clusters of free-lance gem hunters and jewelry stores around Praça Tiradentes. The store managers will not only give you a lesson in identifying the gemstones but also introduce you to the gem cutters and polishers working in the back rooms. They, in turn, are pleased to show you how the cutting is done. This gesture of hospitality reflects the townsfolk’s feeling of being privileged to live in a town with a fascinating history.

If you are planning to visit Brazil, make sure that a stroll through photogenic Ouro Prêto is included in your travel plans.

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Ouro Prêto

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When the iron oxide is removed, the black stones become gold nuggets

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Ouro Prêto, with Itacolomi Mountain in the distance

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Inconfidência Museum, Praça Tiradentes

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Aquamarine, yellow imperial topaz, and emerald

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Gems: Brasil Gemas, Ouro Preto, MG

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