Diamantina in Brazil

Diamantina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and northern Minas's prettiest colonial town, sits nestled in rugged hills 300 km north of Belo Horizonte. The town's churches are less spectacular than those in Ouro Preto or São João del Rey, but the city has a wonderful architectural unity and is better preserved and less touristy.

The

cerrado

forests that swathe the countryside around the town are home to some of the rarest birds and mammals on the continent. The recently opened São Gonçalo do Rio Preto state park, 45 km from Diamantina, is the best base from which to explore them. Regular flights from Belo Horizonte to Diamantina have made visiting far easier than it used to be; it is now possible to continue overland from the town to Bahia.

Background

Like Minas's other colonial towns, Diamantina owes its existence and colonial finery to mining wealth, in this case diamonds, which were first discovered here in 1728. The settlement became known as Arraial do Tijuco and grew rapidly into a city. As the city's wealth increased, so did the feelings of resentment at the Portuguese tyranny. The majority black and mixed-race population were treated as subhuman. They were considered of such low birth that they were banned from walking in

front of façades of the white churches as it would be an affront to God. They remained largely

in poverty, leading many of the citizens to sympathise with the Inconfidêntes . One local priest, José da Silva de Oliveira Rolim (Padre Rolim), joined the movement.

Getting there

The

airport

, receives three flights a week from Belo Horizonte or Pampulha with

Trip

, www.voetrip.com.br. The

rodoviária

, has regular bus connections with Belo Horizonte and the Serra do Cipó. Diamantina is connected to Brasília through Curvelo, and Araçuaí and Itaubim from Porto Seguro in Bahia. Taxis are expensive.

Tourist information

The

tourist office

www.diamantina.mg.gov.br

, is friendly and helpful and provides pamphlets and a reliable map, as well as information about church opening times, buses and local guides. The website www.diamantina.com.br is a very useful alternative (in Portuguese), and lists hotels and tour operators.

Sights

Diamantina is easily manageable on foot; the city centre is compact and there are plenty of little street-side cafés and bars. The best place to start exploring is the

Praça Guerra

(Praça do Sé) which is dominated by the towering 1930s cathedral. The most interesting church,

Nossa Senhora do Carmo

, is a short walk west along Rua Carmo Quitanda. It is most remarkable for its beautiful interior paintings, carried out by José Soares de Araujo, a former bodyguard from Braga in Portugal. Many of the city's churches are painted by him, but this is by far his finest work. The Carmelites are said to have been founded before the time of Christ by the prophet Elijah, who is depicted on the magnificent ceiling, ascending to heaven in a chariot of fire, and brandishing a sword on one of the side altars. Another ceiling painting shows the patron saint and founder of the Third Order of Mount Carmel, the 12th-century English saint, St Simon Stock, receiving a scapular from the Virgin. The placing of the church tower at the back of the building was ostensibly to please Chica Silva, the black slave of Padre Rolim. In an era when black Brazilians were valued less than chickens she achieved liberty, married the wealthy diamond merchant João Fernandes de Oliveira and became the most influential woman in the city, living in luxury with him and their 14 children in a house overlooking the Praça Lobo de Mesquita. The house is now a museum, the

Casa de Chica da Silva

Just south of Nossa Senhora do Carmo is the church of

Nossa Senhora do Rosário dos Pretos

, designated for the black underclass who were not permitted to attend mass at Nossa Senhora do Carmo. Its simple interior has a magical meditative silence. Outside is an original 18th-century public fountain, the Chafariz do Rosário where water pours from the mouths of distinctly African faces.

Diamantina has a number of other interesting small museums worth exploring. The

Museu do Diamante

, in the house of Padre Rolim houses an important collection of the materials used in the diamond industry, together with some beautiful 18th- and 19th-century oratories and icons and the iron collars that were once fitted to the slaves that worked the mines.

The

Biblioteca Antônio Torres

, is a smart 18th- century townhouse, which is also known as the

Casa Muxarabie

after the enclosed Moorish balcony on one of the windows.

Behind the 18th-century building that now houses the

Prefeitura Municipal

(originally the diamond administration building) at Praça Conselheiro Matta 11, is the

Mercado Municipal

dos Tropeiros

(muleteers). It was built in 1835 as a residence and trading house before being expanded and has wooden arches. The

Casa da Glória

, is the city's most photographed building. Two houses on either side of the street are connected by a covered corridor-bridge. This was once part of a convent school and the girls would laugh and flirt through the small windows. It is now part of a university.

President Juscelino Kubitschek, the founder of Brasília, was from Diamantina and his house is now a

museum

. Try and be in the city for the regular

Vesperata

festivals when groups of musicians serenade passers-by from the city's numerous balconies, especially around the Praça Guerra; a tradition that began in the 17th century.

Excursions from Diamantina

There is a good walk along the

Caminho dos Escravos

, the old road built by slaves between the mining area on Rio Jequitinhonha and Diamantina. A guide is essential and not expensive; ask at the Casa de Cultura. Beware of snakes and thunderstorms.

About 9 km from town is the

Gruta de Salitre

, a big cave with a strange rock formation. There are no buses, but it is a good walk and you can find some interesting minerals along the way. Ask the tourist office for directions, or take a taxi. Closer to the town is the

Cachoeira da Toca

, a 15-m waterfall, which is good for swimming.

Along the riverbank it is 12 km on a dirt road to

Biribiri

, a pretty village with a well- preserved church and an abandoned textile factory. It also has a few bars and is popular and noisy at weekends. About halfway there are swimming pools in the river; opposite them, on a cliff face, are red animal paintings of unknown age and origin. There is some interesting plant life along the river and beautiful mountain views.

The sleepy little town of

São Gonçalo do Rio Preto

, which sits next to a beautiful mountain river, is famous for its traditional festivals. It lies some 60 km from Diamantina on the edge of the

Parque Estadual de São Gonçalo do Rio Preto

- an area of stunning,

pristine

cerrado

filled with flowering trees and particularly rich in birdlife. There are

pousadas

in São Gonçalo and

cabañas

in the park (reachable by taxi). Guides are also available.

This is edited copy from Footprint Handbooks. For comprehensive details (incl address, tel no, directions, opening times and prices) please refer to book or individual chapter PDF

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