Ouro Preto is a city in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, a former colonial mining town located in the Serra do Espinhaço mountains and designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO because of its outstanding Baroque architecture.

Founded at the end of the 17th century, Ouro Preto (meaning Black Gold) was the focal point of the gold rush and Brazil's golden age in the 18th century.

The city contains well preserved colonial architecture, with few signs of modern urban life. Churches decorated with gold and the works of Aleijadinho make Ouro Preto a popular tourist destination. In the colonial times art was fairly advanced and developed into the "Barroco Mineiro", with many sculptors (Aleijadinho), painters (Mestre Athayde), composers (Lobo de Mesquita family), poets (Thomas Gonzaga).

This is my first photo thred, unfortunatelly I haven't visited a third of the spectacular places of this city
1
http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/4231/imag0051ju3.jpg

2
http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/5313/imag0052yf8.jpg

3
http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/4830/imag0062kz1.jpg

4
http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/8580/imag0060ih2.jpg

5
http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/5529/imag0058ba7.jpg

6
http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/9120/imag0064el4.jpg

7
http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/4043/imag0066lg8.jpg

8
http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/2653/imag0073bw8.jpg

9
http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/7526/imag0076cb4.jpg

10
http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/9904/imag0079td5.jpg

11
http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/7523/imag0082ko9.jpg