Ouro Preto: World Heritage

Abstract

Ouro Preto, formerly Vila Rica, in the state of Minas Gerais, is one of the most important and emblematic cities for Brazilian history and culture. Its formation process, its rich cultural heritage and the successive efforts to preserve it have been the object of study and attention by not only specialists in various fields, but also by national and international authorities. The then Vila Rica was the mining centre in the 18th century, stage of the Inconfidencia Mineira (The Minas Gerais’ Conspiracy) (1789) and source of inspiration of the modernists who in 1922 identified it as one of the birthplaces of national identity. As the main centre of gold extraction in the 18th century, it provided innovations in architecture, painting and sculpture, following the example of the great artist Antonio Francisco Lisboa, known as Aleijadinho. According to French art historian, curator and restorer Germain Bazin, Aleijadinho was the “Michelangelo of the Tropics”. In 1789, Vila Rica was the stage of the Inconfidencia Mineira, led by Joaquim Jose da Silva Xavier, the Tiradentes, the greatest expression of Brazilian heroism. Tiradentes and Aleijadinho constitute what the poet Manuel Bandeira called “the two great shadows of Ouro Preto”. In 1823, after the Independence of Brazil, Vila Rica became the capital of the then province of Minas Gerais and received from Dom Pedro I the title of Imperial City of Ouro Preto. Declared a National Monument (1933), its architectural, urban and landscape ensemble was listed by IPHAN (1938) and inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO (1980). Ouro Preto is going through a disordered growth process, which has contributed to its partial disfigurement. In light of the problem and of the challenges for the construction of a sustainable heritage policy for the city, a question arises: which have been the actions aimed at associating urban development to heritage preservation?