Ouro Preto (Black Gold) is the former capital city of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais (General Mines). It sits in a mountainous region at an elevation of 3,868 ft. It was founded in 1652 as "Vila Rica" (Rich Village) after significant amounts of gold were found in the region. By 1730, it was the most populous city in Latin America with 40,000 people (New York City only had between 7,000 and 10,000 people at that time!). By the 1800s, the gold rush in Brazil was coming to an end and the capital of Minas Gerais was moved to the city Belo Horizonte (Beautiful Horizon). The population of Ouro Preto fell and today the city is mainly sustained on tourism and limited mining of precious minerals.
It is estimated that between 1700 and 1800, 57 pounds of gold were mined in the state of Minas Gerais every single day. This led to not only residents of colonial Brazil moving to the region, but also Portuguese people crossing the ocean to settle in Ouro Preto, the largest and richest city during the gold rush. Beyond gold, other valuable minerals were and still are found in the earth around Ouro Preto, including: hematite, dolomite, tourmaline, pyrite, muscovite, topaz and imperial topaz. Imperial topaz is very special because it can only be found in Ouro Preto!
