Historic Museums & Heritage

Ouro Preto's historical center preserves the legacy of the 18th-century gold rush and the Inconfidência Mineira independence movement. This collection features the Museu da Inconfidência, housed in the former municipal palace, and the Casa dos Contos, a former colonial tax office. Visitors can explore the extensive mineral collections at the Escola de Minas, religious art within the Museu do Oratório, and the Baroque architecture of the Igreja Nossa Senhora das Mercês e Misericórdia. These sites document the intersection of colonial wealth, revolutionary politics, and sacred art in Minas Gerais.

Museu da Inconfidência

Museu da Inconfidência or Museum of the Inconfidência is a history museum dedicated to those who died in a failed rebellion movement…

Casa dos Contos

Housed in a late 18th-century colonial mansion, this former gold weighing house and tax office features a historical senzala and exhibits detailing the evolution of Brazilian currency and the region's economic history.

Museu de Ciência e Técnica da Escola de Minas

Located in the former Governor's Palace, this museum displays one of the world's most comprehensive mineralogy collections, alongside sections dedicated to mining, metallurgy, physics, and astronomy.

Igreja Nossa Senhora das Mercês e Misericórdia

An 18th-century Baroque church, also known as Mercês de Cima, featuring soapstone carvings and a prominent position overlooking the historical center of Ouro Preto.

Museu do Oratório

This museum houses a collection of over 160 Brazilian oratories and religious figurines from the 17th to the 20th centuries, displayed in the former infirmary of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia.

Museu Casa Guignard

Dedicated to the life and work of artist Alberto da Veiga Guignard, the museum features his paintings, drawings, and personal objects within a preserved colonial residence.