{"id":8364,"date":"2020-01-21T17:57:29","date_gmt":"2020-01-21T17:57:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/portuguese\/?p=8364"},"modified":"2020-01-15T18:17:34","modified_gmt":"2020-01-15T18:17:34","slug":"brazilian-states-minas-gerais","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/portuguese\/brazilian-states-minas-gerais\/","title":{"rendered":"Brazilian states: Minas Gerais"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bom dia, amigos leitores! <\/span>Good morning, dear readers! Today we are going to move on with our series of articles that unveil the different <\/span>estados<\/span><\/i> (states) that make up Brazil, talking a little about culture, history and attractions for those of you who want to <\/span>viajar<\/span><\/i> (travel) or are just curious about our Brazilian plurality. In today’s text, we will cover <\/span>Minas Gerais<\/b>, a state of major importance (and not just because it is where I came from!), known for its natural and gastronomic riches, its welcoming and quiet <\/span>povo<\/span><\/i> (people), but also for its amazing cultural history.<\/span><\/p>\n

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O estado de Minas Gerais (Photo by Wikimedia Commons)<\/p><\/div>\n

Minas Gerais is located in the part of Brazil that, together with the states of Esp\u00edrito Santo, Rio de Janeiro and S\u00e3o Paulo, form the <\/span>regi\u00e3o sudeste<\/span><\/i> (southeast region) of the country. Its <\/span>paisagem<\/span><\/i> (landscape) features several <\/span>cachoeiras<\/span><\/i> (waterfalls), but the <\/span>montanhas<\/span><\/i> (mountains) are the true eye-catchers. From a distance, they might look like <\/span>ondas<\/span><\/i> (waves) in the ocean, so it is common to hear that these are \u201cmares de morros\u201d (<\/span>seas of hills<\/span><\/i>). With a territory slightly <\/span>maior<\/span><\/i> (larger) than France, this is the state with the greatest number of municipalities in Brazil, and Belo Horizonte is its capital. In addition, Minas Gerais<\/strong> played a very important<\/span> papel<\/span><\/i> (role) in Brazilian colonial history.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is where several precious metal deposits have been found, such as <\/span>ouro<\/span><\/i> (gold), <\/span>prata<\/span><\/i> (silver), diamonds and emeralds. Hence, its name derives from the abundance of these materials, as <\/span>Minas Gerais<\/b> means the place where every kind of precious mineral is. The richness of this region mobilized a sort of gold rush and mass migration to the area since the 17th century, when adventurers from Brazil and the world sought to earn an easy income from <\/span>minera\u00e7\u00e3o<\/span><\/i> (mining). It was in this context that several of its <\/span>cidades<\/span><\/i> (cities) were built and today are cultural and historical <\/span>patrim\u00f4nio<\/span><\/i> (heritage) of Brazil, such as Ouro Preto, Mariana, Tiradentes and Diamantina.<\/span><\/p>\n

But besides its rich <\/span>passado<\/span><\/i> (past) preserved in the cities\u2019 architecture, Minas Gerais is also a <\/span>conhecido<\/span><\/i> (well-known) tourist destination for those who love to<\/span> comer bem<\/span><\/i> (eat wel)l. <\/span>Mineiros<\/span><\/i> e <\/span>mineiras<\/span><\/i>, as the natives from this state are called, have a strong tradition of wholesome <\/span>comida caseira<\/span><\/i> (home-cooking) that is always served in abundance to their <\/span>convidados<\/span><\/i> (guests).<\/span><\/p>\n

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Mar de morros in Minas Gerais (photo by Frederico Tomas de Souza e Miranda [CC BY-SA (https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0)])<\/p><\/div>Packed full of<\/span> fazendas<\/span><\/i> (farms) and small rural properties, Minas Gerais products are known to be always <\/span>frescos<\/span><\/i> (fresh) and, although traditional <\/span>pratos<\/span><\/i> (dishes) vary according to the region, what predominates throughout the territory are the most diverse types of <\/span>queijos<\/span><\/i> (cheese), cacha\u00e7a and <\/span>carne<\/span><\/i> (meat). Have you heard of our famous <\/span>p\u00e3o de queijo<\/span><\/i> (cheesy bread) or <\/span>feij\u00e3o tropeiro<\/span><\/i>? Be aware that it was in Minas Gerais that these Brazilian delicacies were born. Be sure to <\/span>experiment\u00e1-las<\/span><\/i> (try them out) at the first opportunity!<\/span><\/p>\n

It is also worth mentioning that Minas Gerais is home to Inhotim, the largest <\/span>museu a c\u00e9u aberto<\/span><\/i> (open-air museum) in Latin America, located just 60 kilometers from the capital Belo Horizonte. Read here<\/a> our text entirely dedicated to this breathtaking Brazilian institution.<\/span><\/p>\n

We hope you enjoyed our text about Minas Gerais. If you have ever visited this state, be sure to comment on what you liked most about it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Want to learn more about it? Here a some related posts!:<\/p>\n

Brazilian food: feij\u00e3o tropeiro<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n