Part of the history of the current state of Minas Gerais was determined by the exploration of the great mineral wealth found in its territory. Mining began in the 17th century and to this day remains important to the state's economy.
Prehistory and indigenous peoples In the mid-19th century,
Danish paleontologist
Peter Wilhelm Lund discovered, in the
Lagoa Santa region, human remains belonging to a population that lived there thousands of years ago, nicknamed the "Lagoa Santa People". The region of Minas Gerais was inhabited by
indigenous peoples as long as 11,400 to 12,000 years ago, based on the estimated age of the
Luzia woman, the name of the oldest
human fossil found in the Americas. Luzia was found in 1974 in excavations in Lapa Vermelha, a cave between the municipalities of Lagoa Santa and
Pedro Leopoldo, in the
Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte. Based on the analysis of Luzia and her people's cranial morphology, it was theorized that they had
Australoid features, having belonged to a population that arrived in the Americas before the ancestors of
Amerindians. However, with the analysis of the genetic material of the human remains of the Lagoa Santa People, it was found that this prehistoric population had completely Amerindian DNA, therefore ruling out any relationship with Australasian populations and the theory that the
peopling of the Americas was due to a wave of individuals with Australoid traits and another of
Mongoloid individuals. The indigenous peoples of Minas Gerais, as well as throughout Brazil and South America, are descendants of the groups who migrated there through North America. In the region of the municipalities of
Januária,
Montalvânia,
Itacarambi and
Juvenília, in northern Minas Gerais, archaeological excavations have led to estimates that the initial settlement occurred at Luzia's time. Starting in this period, cultural characteristics emerged, such as the use of stone or bone, the creation of cemeteries and small grain silos, as well as cave paintings. Later, about four thousand years ago, it is speculated that vegetable cultivation occurred, in particular corn, and that two thousand years ago, ceramic products were already being manufactured. More than a hundred indigenous groups inhabited the current territory of Minas Gerais at the time of the arrival of the Portuguese. In the valleys of the
Doce,
Jequitinhonha and
Mucuri rivers, people generally known as "
botocudos" lived, such as the
Maxakalis, Maconis, Naquenuques, Aranãs, Krenaks and
Pataxós. Northern Minas Gerais was dominated by the
Kiriris and
Xakriabás. Center, western and southern Minas Gerais were inhabited by the Cataguás, who were the most numerous indigenous group in Minas Gerais' territory in colonial times, so much so that the region was known as "Campos Gerais dos Cataguases" in the time of the
bandeirantes. The regions of
Triângulo Mineiro and
Alto Paranaíba were inhabited by the
Kayapos and Araxás, while the
Zona da Mata was populated by the
Puri. The region of Minas Gerais close to the border with São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul and Goiás was occupied by the
Bororós. However, during the first centuries of the colonization of Brazil, the indigenous people of this region were captured by the bandeirantes to be enslaved and the groups that revolted were exterminated, which caused a great reduction in the indigenous population, leaving currently only five groups: the Xakriabás, Krenaks, Maxakalis, Pataxós and Pankararus, the latter coming from
Pernambuco's hinterlands.
Colonial era Initial settlement and gold rush , 1929 The first European expedition into Minas Gerais' territory was led by Spaniards Francisco Bruza Espinosa and Juan de Azpilcueta Navarro between 1553 and 1555, which left the coast of
Bahia and traveled through northern Minas Gerais. In the following decades, other expeditions known as "entries", coming from the Brazil's
northeastern coast, traveled through this same region, such as that of Sebastião Fernandes Tourinho in 1573. From the end of the 16th century,
bandeirantes traveled the territory of Minas Gerais in search of gold and precious stones. Many of their expeditions were supported by the Portuguese Crown, among which those of
Fernão Dias and his son-in-law
Borba Gato, who left the
village of São Paulo in 1674, stand out. In the 17th century, the colonization of northern Minas Gerais began, with the settlement of cattle herders, due to the expansion of livestock farming in the northeastern
Sertão, and of
bandeirantes, in search of precious stones and indigenous people to enslave. Between 1692 and 1693, the
bandeirante Antônio Rodrigues Arzão discovered the first gold deposits in the territory of Minas Gerais. In the following years,
bandeirantes from the towns of São Paulo and
Taubaté traveled through the
Das Velhas region looking for gold. In 1696, Salvador Fernandes Furtado discovered gold on the banks of the
Carmo river and built his camp there, which gave rise to the town of Nossa Senhora do Carmo (now
Mariana). Two years later, Antônio Dias de Oliveira discovered gold at the foot of the Itacolomi Peak and founded his settlement there, the embryo of Vila Rica (currently
Ouro Preto). In 1702, João de Siqueira Afonso discovered precious stones in the
Rio das Mortes valley. The news of the discovery of gold soon spread, initiating a
gold rush, and in the following decades hundreds of thousands of people eager for wealth, mainly Portuguese (which included
New Christians), but also colonial Brazilians from São Paulo, Bahia, Pernambuco and Rio de Janeiro, settled in Minas Gerais. The arrival of large numbers of people in a short time led to epidemics and food shortages. Prior to 1720, Minas Gerais was part of the
captaincy of São Vicente. The imposition of the authority of the Portuguese Crown contributed to the end of the conflict, with the creation of the Captaincy of São Paulo and Minas do Ouro in 1709. In 1711, the first villages were created in Minas Gerais, namely
Sabará, Vila Rica and Vila de Nossa Senhora do Carmo. In 1720, the
Vila Rica Revolt took place against taxes on gold and, as a result, that same year the Captaincy of Minas Gerais was created after the dismemberment of São Paulo e Minas do Ouro. At the height of gold mining, enslaved labor was essential for large landowners. In this way, the trade in slaves
brought from the African continent to work in the mines intensified. Many slaves tried and managed to escape, which led to the emergence of
quilombos throughout Minas Gerais. It is estimated that during the 18th century more than 120 of these communities emerged throughout the captaincy. These settlements were not so far from mining centers, which made it easier for more slaves to escape. There was also a trade in subsistence products between slaves and traders, who took advantage of the lower price offered by the former. In 1753,
Rosa Egipcíaca, was enslaved and forced to work as a prostitute in a mine in the region, until she became ill and began to have religious visions. These visions led to her arrest and imprisonment and ultimately interrogation by the Inquisition. She recorded them in the first book to be written by a black woman in Brazil —
Sagrada Teologia do Amor Divino das Almas Peregrinas.
Minas Gerais' conspiracy sculpture, by Aleijadinho|left|271x271pxDuring the 18th century, mining exploration was strongly controlled by the
Portuguese Crown, which imposed heavy taxes on everything extracted (one fifth of all gold would go to the Crown). Several rebellions were attempted by the colonists, always facing strong reaction by the imperial crown. One of the most important was the
Vila Rica revolt that ended with the execution of Filipe dos Santos, the revolt's leader, but also with the separation of Minas Gerais from the captaincy São Paulo e Minas de Ouro. The most notable one, however, was the
Minas Gerais conspiracy, started in 1789 by a group of middle-class colonists, mostly intellectuals and young officers. They were inspired by the
American and French
Enlightenment ideals. The conspiracy failed and the rebels were arrested and exiled. The most famous of them,
Joaquim José da Silva Xavier (known as Tiradentes), was hanged by order of Queen
Maria I of Portugal, becoming a local hero and a national martyr of Brazil. The Minas Gerais flag—a red triangle on a white background, along with the Latin motto "Libertas quæ sera tamen", "freedom albeit late"—is based on the design for the national flag proposed by the "Inconfidentes", as the rebels became known. In the economic history of Brazil, Minas Gerais plays a pivotal role in shifting the economic axis from the Brazilian northeast (based on sugarcane, that starts declining in the 18th century) to the southeast of the country, which still remains the major economic center. The large amounts of gold found in the region attracted the attention of Portugal back to Brazil, progressively turning Rio de Janeiro into an important port city, from where these would be shipped to Portugal and where the Portuguese crown would eventually move its administration in 1808 after Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion of Portugal (see
Transfer of the Portuguese Court to Brazil). Due to the economic importance of the state and the particular traits of the local population—famed for its reserved and balanced character—Minas Gerais has also played an important role on national politics. During the 19th century, politicians such as
José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva were instrumental in the establishment of the Brazilian Empire under the rule of
Pedro I and later his son,
Pedro II. After the installation of the
First Brazilian Republic, during the early 20th century, Minas Gerais shared the control of the national political scene with
São Paulo in what became known as the "
coffee with milk politics" (coffee being the major product of São Paulo, and milk representing Minas Gerais' dairy industry, despite the latter also being an important coffee producer). Minas Gerais was also home to two of the most influential Brazilian politicians of the second half of the 20th century.
Juscelino Kubitschek was president from 1956 to 1961, and he was responsible for the construction of
Brasília as the new capital of Brazil.
Tancredo Neves had an extensive political career that culminated with his election in 1984 to be the first civil president after the 1964 military coup. However, he died after a series of health complications just as he was about to assume the position. Also,
Itamar Franco, former president of Brazil, lived there, though he was not born in Minas Gerais. ==Geography==