Região Sudeste: Minas Gerais
by Michelle
Minas Gerais is the largest inland state in Southeast Brazil. In Portuguese, the name "Minas Gerais" translates to "General Mines", representing the rich minerals that this region is known for. Most of the population is composed of Portuguese descent, and the predominant religion is Roman Catholicism.
Economy & Industry
The economy of Minas Gerais is mainly spurred by mining and agriculture. The largest source of income for this region is mining, and the largest source of employment is agriculture. Historically, gold brought great wealth to the region but was used up in the 1800s. Since then, Minas Gerais is widely known for its semiprecious gems, such as aquamarine, topaz, amethyst, and tourmaline.
Pão de Queijo
Pão de queijo is one of Brazil's most well-known comfort foods. It is a Brazilian cheese bread that is made best by Mineiros. Snack or breakfast food, this delicious bread is actually more similar to a starchy cookie or sweet. Yum!
Sertaneja
Sertaneja is a popular type of music mainly developed by the people of Minas Gerais. It is typically sung in duets, and the lyrics are usually about love and relationships. A sub-genre called "sertaneja universitario" was created in the 2000s and is popular with younger adults and teenagers. Feel free to take a listen!
Praca da Liberdade
Minas Gerais's most prominent square, Praca da Liberdade was once the place of power in the state. The Palacio da Liberdade, the former seat of government in Minas Gerais, looks similar to a European palace. Earlier buildings in the square reflect architectural style at the time, while the newer buildings reflect a neoclassical style.
Serra do Cipó National Park
This national boasts of long hiking trails providing days of exploration and adventure. The demanding trails require a decent amount of fitness and are not for the faint-hearted. Experience hikers will love trekking around this national park. For more leisurely hikers, Vila de Lapinha has shorter, less demanding trails with beautiful lakeside views.
Ouro Preto
Ouro Preto was the epicenter of the gold rush and Brazil's golden age in the 18th century. Historically significant as the center for gold mining and government, this city is one of the shining jewels of Minas Gerais. Although the gold rush ended in the 19th century, Ouro Preto remains ones of the most influential cities in Minas Gerais as a center for education and the arts.
Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte, meaning "Beautiful Horizon", is the capital of Minas Gerais. Today it is a pleasant, commercial city, with walkable neighborhoods and a plethora of authentic Mineiro restaurants. It is an important cultural center, hosting many museums, music conservatory, ballet school, and many primary and secondary schools.
When you visit a new place for the first time, what is your favorite thing to do? In Minas Gerais, mine would be visiting Belo Horizonte and diving into the authentic Mineiro restaurants!
References
Brasil, Visit. “Praça Da Liberdade.” Visit Brasil - Site Oficial De Turismo Do Brasil, www.visitbrasil.com/en/atracoes/praca-da-liberdade.html.
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Minas Gerais.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 21 Nov. 2012, www.britannica.com/place/Minas-Gerais.
Brown, Sarah. “10 Cultural Facts About Minas Gerais, Brazil.” Culture Trip, 9 May 2018, theculturetrip.com/south-america/brazil/articles/10-cultural-facts-about-minas-gerais-brazil/.
Lonely Planet. “Ouro Preto Travel | Brazil.” Lonely Planet, www.lonelyplanet.com/brazil/the-southeast/ouro-preto.
“Things to Do in Minas Gerais.” Frommer's, www.frommers.com/destinations/minas-gerais.
Bom dia! Obrigada! I really enjoyed this post and learning more about Minas Gerais. I had never heard of Ouro Preto and enjoyed learning a little about the site of Brazil's gold rush. I love Pão de Queijo. Thank you for that appetizing picture. Thank you for sharing the video about sertaneja universitario. I had not listened to this music.
ReplyDeleteWhen I visit a new place, I love to walk around where I am. I like to walk as it helps give me a feeling for the place and see what types of things people do. Serra do Cipó National Park looks like the perfect place to go for a walk!
Boa tarde!
ReplyDeleteThank you for a great post. I was maze by the views of Serra do Cipo National Park. I love to go hiking, this would be a great place for me to visit when planing my trip to Brazil. I think I would take the less demanding trails, I'm not an experience hiker. I would also love to visit this park because it is home to many protected species such as the cougar and maned golf.
hey anali, I agree that this is definitely the place to go to for hiking but it does look very complex. The national park looks beautiful I am jealous that we dont have something like that around my area.
DeleteHello again
ReplyDeleteI was intrigue by Sertaneja Universitario. I was listening to their music and wow! I really think I like it. I think I'll be listening to them and this type of music. This will probably help me to get used to the accent and will help me pronounce a little better. Thank you for including this on your post. Its helpful and entertaining.
Sim! Great way to learn a language is listening to the music!
DeleteWhen you visit a new place for the first time, what is your favorite thing to do?
ReplyDeleteMy favorite thing to do is find their local restaurants and try their food. I love to try new foods and discover authentic flavors. If I know they have a street market I go and try to walk around.
I was amazed to discover that the Sertaneja music is from Brazil I did know!I was listening and I was able to understand an 80% of the lyrics. Google it to find more info about the Sertaneja music, this has created an environment that some music-industry experts see as the launchpad for Brazilian pop music to become the next big trend, in the near future. Singer Anitta has been seen as a case study in how to use effective marketing strategies to develop such an artist’s career, including brand partnerships (in her case, with telco Clara).
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this blog, normally I don't like to follow or to write in any blogs but this time I learned something new.
I really liked the scenery from the photos and videos you added. It seemed like the landscape and architecture of Minas Gerais was a mix between the country with the hills, mountains, lakes and hiking trails and the city with the tall high rise buildings. I would like to go hiking on one of those trails with the views of a lake during the trail. I have also tried the Pão de queijo many times and it is very delicious.
ReplyDeleteMinas Gerais must be similar to a lot of the mining regions of Arizona, in that there are so many places where the ore has also dried up and now they have to deal with all the desolated land left in place. The river in the first video looked so clear! And how it ran along this continuous bedrock made it look really cool. It makes sense that in such a mineral rich place there would have waterways like this, kind of like Arizona's Fossil Springs.
ReplyDeleteWhen I visit somewhere new my favorite thing to do it to find the public spaces where people congregate. I love the energy of a large park full of locals. There is also guaranteed to be food there.
Oh my gosh, cheese bread! That sounds so yummy and definitely comforting. I am an outdoorsy girl, so I would definitely be heading straight for those waterfalls and national parks. However, I also love a good meal so I might have to stop at a restaurant on my way out there. I love the mountains in the background of the last picture. So many places in South America have such beautiful landscapes surrounding their cities and it always kind of blows my mind.
ReplyDeleteBoa tarde!
ReplyDeleteI loved reading about Minas Gerais. I think so far it has been my favorite to learn about. When traveling to a new place for the first time, the first thing I enjoy doing it trying the different types of food that they have. Food is one of my favorite parts of life (lol), so when traveling, I make sure to try the dish they are most famous for as well as trying foods that would not be easily accesible back home. That being said, if I went to Minas Gerais, I would definitely have to hunt down that cheese bread and give it a try. My second thing to do when I first arrive at a new place is definitely to be a tourist and visit the famous places. I absolutely love waterfalls as that is something you would likely not see back in IL (where I'm from) so I would definitely make time to visit the Serra do Cipó National Park.
Hi Taylor, I'm not sure where you live, but there are places that sell cheese bread - Costco is one of them - they sell it frozen, all you have to do is bake them. Yummy!
DeleteBoa tarde!
ReplyDeleteInstantly, what stood out to me about Minas Gerais is the Serra do Cipo National Park. I love spending time hiking, when I can, and visiting national parks. Last year I had a chance to see Yosemite, Sequoia, and Saguaro National Park in the western U.S. (CA & AZ). Long hikes and days of exploration and adventure is my forte. Actually, I mention this because I picked my blog region because of the naturalness involved in my site. Obrigado for the information on a possible future national park I hope to see! Also, thanks for the video on the musical performance. I like to get a peek into the music scene around the globe.
Nice blog post!
Hello, I heard of Belo Horizonte since a was a child in Uruguay. We have a beach called Belo Horizonte too. I tried pão de queijo in Costco here in the US. I love it. It was delicious! I would like to go Brazil and visit this place and try homemade pão de queijo instead of frozen like here. Obrigada for the post. I learned a lot about Minas Gerais. Have a great day.
ReplyDeleteThe more I learn about these other places the more close minded I feel about not looking into places this beautiful before! This one seems a bit more dry than the other places we have learned about but still very beautiful! That cheese bread looks so good, something I would definitely try if I ever get the chance to visit (:
ReplyDeleteOlá!
ReplyDeleteFirst and foremost, I would like to express the fact that I really want to some Pão de Queijo! It sounds very delicious!
There seem to be lots of beautiful and historically fascinating places to visit in this state, from Belo Horizante to Ouro Preto. I personally would love to attempt some the hikes at Serra do Cipó National Park, especially the challenging ones. Learning about the history and importance of the mining and the gold rush would be interesting too.
To answer your question, the first thing I do when I travel to a new place, aside from visiting the important sights and landmarks, is to scope out the best coffee shops so I can fulfill my addiction - likely an easy feat in Brazil, given the amount of coffee it produces. I also try to explore and take pictures wherever I can.