Minas Gerais

Minas Gerais is a large state in southeastern Brazil, the country's mining heartland and a treasure house of colonial Baroque art. Its capital is Belo Horizonte, while historic towns like Ouro Preto preserve the gold-rush past. The second most populous state, it is famed for its cuisine, hospitality and mountains.

Minas Gerais, meaning general mines, is a mountainous, mineral-rich state of highlands, valleys and rivers in the interior southeast. It has no coastline. The terrain includes the Espinhaco range and many old mining areas. The climate is tropical highland, generally mild.

Mineiro culture is famed for warm hospitality, a beloved cuisine of pao de queijo, cheese and pork dishes, and a rich heritage of Baroque churches and the sculptures of the master Aleijadinho. Folk traditions and music run deep.

The 18th-century gold and diamond rush made Minas Gerais the richest region of colonial Brazil, funding magnificent Baroque towns like Ouro Preto. It was the seat of the Inconfidencia, an early independence conspiracy, and remains an economic giant.