Diamantina

Diamonds were found here in the 1720s and the crown took direct control of the district, which is why the town is both wealthy in its building and unusually regulated in its history - an administrative enclave with its own rules, governed from the Casa da Intendencia. It sits at thirteen hundred metres in the Espinhaco, and the colonial centre is steep, tight and largely intact. The Passadico da Gloria, a covered wooden walkway painted blue, crosses the street between two buildings and is the town's emblem. Diamantina keeps a live serenade tradition - musicians play in the streets at night, particularly at weekends - and it was the birthplace of Juscelino Kubitschek, whose modest family house is a museum. The Estrada Real passes through.

History

The town was founded in 1713 as Arraial do Tejuco, around a chapel to Saint Anthony of Padua, and grew fast after diamonds were found here in 1729; the Portuguese crown answered by taking full control of the diamond district, created the Intendency of Diamonds in 1734 and kept its monopoly on the deposits until 1845, and in the 18th century this was the largest diamond mining area in the western world. At the end of that century it was the third most populous place in the captaincy of Minas. It separated from the municipality of Serro in 1831 and took the name Diamantina, received the title of National Historic Heritage in 1938, and its historic centre was designated a World Heritage Site in 1999 (Wikipedia, Diamantina).

Highlights

• The blue Passadico da Gloria - a covered walkway crossing the street.
• A crown-run diamond district - the administrative enclave and its buildings.
• Night serenades - musicians playing in the streets, still a living practice.
• Kubitschek's house - the modest home of the president who built Brasilia.

When to go

April to September. Two days, staying a weekend night for the serenades.

What to expect

The streets are steep and cobbled and the walking is demanding. It is a long drive from Belo Horizonte on a road that climbs steadily. Nights at altitude are cold. Museums close on Mondays and church hours are short.

Nearby

Serro is south; the Biribiri state park is just outside the town.

Key facts