Your Travel Experience with South American Tours DMC
Transfer from Belo Horizonte to Ouro Preto. On the way you will visit Mariana, where you will take a walk through the picturesque streets of the town, which will give you an insight into the houses of the early 18th century with their balconies made of wood, iron and even soapstone. This excursion also includes a visit to the "Palacio Velho" gold mine. The "Mine of the Old Palace" is part of the oldest and most productive gold mining of the 18th century in Minas Gerais. It is located just below the ruins of the original governor's palace. The entire structure used for gold mining has been preserved. You can see tunnels, passages, large rooms and also places where gold was washed out of the stone and the mother rock was crushed and ground in a crushing process.
Afterwards, visit the town of Congonhas, which is home to very important works from the Brazilian gold age. The most important points to visit are Aleijadinho's masterpiece sculptures of the Twelve Prophets carved in soapstone and his sculptural representation of the Via Crucis (Stations of the Cross) worked in polychrome wood. The 66 life-size statues are Brazil's greatest artistic treasure.
Continue to the hotel in Ouro Preto.