ABSTRACT
The eighteenth century, during which Brazil was a colony of Portugal, was a culturally and economically remarkable period in history. In Brazil, that century is known as the Gold Cycle, or the Mining Cycle, because gold and other precious minerals started to be mined at that time. The most important urban center related to mining was Villa Rica, in the state of Minas Gerais, later renamed Ouro Preto (Black Gold in English), the subject of this chapter.
