Ouro Preto (Portuguese pronunciation [ˈo(w)ɾu ˈpɾetu], Black Gold), formerly Vila Rica (Portuguese pronunciation [ˈvilɐ ˈʁikɐ], Rich Village), is a city in and former capital of 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 Portuguese colonial architecture.
Preto was the capital of Minas Gerais from 1720 until 1897.Other historical cities in Minas Gerais are São João del-Rei, Diamantina, Mariana, Tiradentes, Congonhas and Sabará.
Officially, 800 tons of gold were sent to Portugal in the eighteenth century, not to mention what was circulated in an illegal manner, nor what remained in the colony, such as gold used in the ornamentation of the churches.
