BELO HORIZONTE - BRAZIL |
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Belo
Horizonte (a Portuguese name meaning beautiful horizon) is among the most
important cities in Brazil. It is the capital of Minas Gerais state, located
in the southeast of the country. With a population of slightly more than 2
million, Belo Horizonte – or "BH" as it is more familiarly known – is a
place of intense economical and cultural activity.
History of Belo Horizonte
The metropolis was once a small village, founded by a prospector from
São Paulo, João Leite da Silva Ortiz, who found a location with
agreeable weather, decided to stay, and built a farm called "Curral del
Rey" (archaic Portuguese for "Corral of the King"). The farm's wealth
and success encouraged more people into the region, and Curral del Rey
became a village surrounded by farms. Several of these were built by the
Faria family, later to become the first local Methodist preachers and
eventually founders of Baptist churches. Belo Horizonte today is the
main Evangelical capital of Brazil, being the home to several Brazilian
and foreign para-ecclesiastical organisations. |
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When Brazil became a republic in 1889, Curral Del Rey had grown large
enough to be chosen as the site for the new capital of Minas Gerais,
replacing the previous state capital of Ouro Preto. The city changed its
name to Belo Horizonte sometime before 1894. It was officially declared
the capital by the State's legistature on December 12, 1897, the city's
official birthdate.
Some time afterwards, an attempt was made to change the city's name
Cidade de Minas, but the change was not popular and was soon reverted.
One interesting feature of Belo Horizonte is the downtown street plan,
featuring a regular array of perpendicular and diagonal streets designed
by town planner Aarão Reis. However, the city's growth — which was
especially intense in the last twenty years of the 20th century – far
surpassed its planning, and the city now faces a number of
infrastructure problems. About 20% of the population has no access to
the sewerage network, and floods are a problem in the slums, destroying
houses and killing people in the rainy season (November to March).
Places to go
Located in the nearby suburb of Pampulha is a collection of important
buildings, including the Capela de São Francisco de Assis (Igreja da
Pampulha), designed by the famous Brazilian architect of the modern
school, Oscar Niemeyer. |
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