Pedro Leopoldo is a Brazilian municipality in the state of

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...

. The city is located in the

Greater Belo Horizonte Greater Belo Horizonte, Brazil, is the name usually used to describe the Belo Horizonte metropolitan region, which is composed of 34 municipalities. As of 2013, it is the third largest metropolitan area of Brazil with more than Six million inhabi ...

region. As of 2020, the estimated population was 94,712. The city is birthplace to prominent

medium Medium may refer to: Science and technology Aviation *Medium bomber, a class of war plane *Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Communication * Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data * Medium of ...

Chico Xavier Chico Xavier () or Francisco Cândido Xavier, born Francisco de Paula Cândido (, April 2, 1910 – June 30, 2002), was a popular Brazilian philanthropist and spiritist medium. During a period of 60 years he wrote over 490 books and several ...

and 1970 World Champion and Cruzeiro

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

Dirceu Lopes Dirceu Lopes, full name Dirceu Lopes Mendes (born 3 September 1946 in Pedro Leopoldo Pedro Leopoldo is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Minas Gerais. The city is located in the Greater Belo Horizonte region. As of 2020, the estimat ...

. The municipality contains 44% of the

Sumidouro State Park The Sumidouro State Park ( pt, Parque Estadual do Sumidouro) is a state park in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The remains of the first human inhabitants of Brazil were found in the park area in the early 19th century, along with bones of now- ...

, created in 1980. The Casa Fernão Dias is in the Quinta do Sumidouro district of Pedro Leopoldo. It is listed by the State Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (IEPHA) as a cultural heritage monument. It contain exhibits that tell the history of

Fernão Dias Fernão Dias Pais Leme (1608–1681) or was a frontiersman from São Paulo. He was known as the "Emerald Hunter" and was one of the most prominent bandeirantes together with Antônio Raposo Tavares. He is the great-great-grandfather of the Saint ...

, a

bandeirante The ''Bandeirantes'' (), literally "flag-carriers", were slavers, explorers, adventurers, and fortune hunters in early Colonial Brazil. They are largely responsible for Brazil's great expansion westward, far beyond the Tordesillas Line of 1494 ...

who spent several years in the region with his followers in search of gold and precious stones. The house contains an annex where the state park's administrative staff work.

References

Municipalities in Minas Gerais {{MinasGerais-geo-stub

See also

References