Diamantina, Minas Gerais

Diamantina () is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Minas Gerais. Its estimated population in 2020 was 47,825 in a total area of 3,870 km².

''Arraial do Tijuco'' (as Diamantina was first called) was built during the colonial era in the early 18th century. As its name suggests, Diamantina was a center of diamond mining in the 18th and 19th centuries. A well-preserved example of Brazilian Baroque architecture, Diamantina is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Other historical cities in Minas Gerais are Ouro Preto, São João del-Rei, Mariana, Tiradentes, Congonhas and Sabará.

Statistical micro-region

Diamantina is a statistical micro-region that includes the following municipalities: Diamantina, Datas, Felício dos Santos, Gouveia, Presidente Kubitschek, São Gonçalo do Rio Preto, Senador Modestino Gonçalves, and Couto de Magalhães de Minas. The area of this region is 7,348 km² and in 2006 the population was 80,063 inhabitants. The population density (2000) was 11.2 inhabitants/km².

History

Prehistory

Before the arrival of Portuguese settlers, in the 16th century (the first reports give account of expeditions that went up the Jequitinhonha and São Francisco Rivers), Diamantina, like the entire region of the current state of Minas Gerais, was occupied by indigenous peoples of the Macro-Jê languages.

Foundation and exploration of diamonds

Diamantina was founded as Arraial do Tejuco in 1713, with the construction of a chapel that honored the patron Saint Anthony of Padua. The locality had strong growth when the Diamonds were discovered in 1729. At the end of the 18th century, it was the third largest population in the Captaincy General of Minas, behind the capital Vila Rica, today Ouro Preto, and with a population similar to that of the prosperous São João del-Rei.

In the 18th century it grew due to the large local production of diamonds, which were exploited by the Portuguese crown. It was initially known as Arraial do Tejuco (or Tijuco) (from the Tupi tyîuka, "rotten water"), Tejuco and Ybyty'ro'y (Tupi word meaning "cold mountain", by the junction of ybytyra ("mountain").) and ro'y ("cold"). During the 18th century, the city was famous for having sheltered Chica da Silva, a freed slave who was the wife of the richest man in Colonial Brazil, João Fernandes de Oliveira.

Diamantina represented the largest mining of diamonds in the western world in the 18th century, and for nine years, the Portuguese Crown was not aware of the discovery of diamonds in the region, which was done by the governor of the Captaincy, in 1729, the then D. Lourenço de Almeida.

Portugal's response was to impose full control over the diamond regions of Minas Gerais. In 1734, the Intendency of Diamonds was created, whose regime was totally controlling and authoritarian.

The Portuguese Crown's monopoly over diamond deposits lasted until 1845.

Incorporation, transformation into historical heritage and recent history

Diamantina emancipated itself from the municipality of Serro only in 1831, changing its name to Diamantina because of the large volume of diamonds found in the region. The delay was due to the need for greater local control by the colonial authorities, since in the mid-18th century the population was larger than that of Vila do Príncipe do Serro Frio, head of the region. Life in Diamantina at the end of the 19th century was portrayed by Alice Brant in her book ''Minha Vida de Menina'', which became a landmark in Brazilian literature after being rediscovered by Elizabeth Bishop.In 1938, Diamantina celebrated its 100th anniversary as a city, receiving the title of "National Historic Heritage" from the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage.

With the arrival of Juscelino Kubitschek to the state government and later to the Presidency of the Republic, many improvements were made in Diamantina, such as the foundation of the Federal School of Dentistry of Diamantina, the Hotel Tijuco, the Júlia Kubitschek State School and the Diamantina Sports Square.

In 1999, it was elevated to the category of "heritage of humanity" by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Location

Diamantina is located 292 kilometers almost directly north of the state capital, Belo Horizonte, in a mountainous area. The elevation of the municipal seat is 1,114 meters. The Jequitinhonha River, one of Brazil's most important rivers, flows to the east of the municipal seat. Diamantina is linked to the state capital by federal highway BR-259, by way of Curvelo. Diamantina Airport has regular flights to Belo Horizonte.

The municipality contains the Biribiri State Park, created in 1998, which contains the historic village of Biribiri.

Neighboring municipalities are: Olhos d'Água and Bocaiúva (N); Carbonita, Senador Modestino Gonçalves, São Gonçalo do Rio Preto, and Couto de Magalhaes de Minas (E); Santo Antônio do Itambé, Datas, Serro and Monjolos (S); Augusto de Lima, Buenópolis, and Engenheiro Navarro

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