The Hinterland
This text was originally written by the coordinator of the respective volume for the print edition as an introduction to the geographic area in question; the possibility of updating it was left to each author’s discretion. It should be interpreted together with the general introductory text from the respective volume.
THERE IS A FAMOUS STATEMENT by Friar Vicente do Salvador, in which the author of História do Brasil says that the Portuguese had lived, up to that point, "scratching away at the coastal area like crabs". Later on, he returns to the theme, clarifying the reasons that were to accelerate the process of their penetration deeper inland, a move that had been delayed until then, saying that "since this land is adjacent to Peru, from which it is divided by no more than an invisible imaginary line, and since the Spaniards have discovered so many rich mines there in that country, they do not even bother to set foot here in this territory. When they do go into the hinterland, it is in search of freed Indians, taking them back by force and trickery, so that they can be made use of and sold, with a great burden upon their consciences.'' These words were written in the early 17th century, but by the end of the century, Friar Vicente's appeal had been heard and, in the hinterland, where they had gone in search of Indians, the greatly coveted mines were discovered. Such a process was mirrored in the change of the region's name: the area that had previously been known as the "sertão dos cataguazes” (the 'backwoods of the Cataguazes') became known as "Minas Gerais' (the 'general mines').
The sertão (or hinterland) is the most ubiquitous of the territories that were colonised. In Brazil, the word was used to describe all the areas that had not yet been occupied. There were the sertões of Bahia, the sertões of Pernambuco, etc. Therefore, the sertão conveys the idea of a pre-territory: it was the region that had not yet been properly cleared, but which was already recognised as being in such a condition. In the beautiful expression used by Cláudia Damasceno Fonseca, the sertão was "a perpetual coming into being', an area with a shifting frontier, converted into a territory by the constant advances of the conquering forces.
Throughout the 18th century, this process represented a journey towards the furthest boundaries, finally drawing the so-called "indivisible imaginary line” which was to separate the lands of the kings of Portugal from those of Spain in America. The border was drawn by the rivers, where, repeating the procedure followed along the coast, settlements were once again established in order to ensure the region's defence, and naturally fortifications were built as well.
Two important examples of military fortresses built along the inland border of Brazil have been preserved: in the north, on the River Guaporé, a tributary of the Amazon basin, the Royal Fort of Príncipe da Beira, Costa Marques (ro); and, in the south, on the River Paraguay, the Fort of Nova Coimbra, Corumbá (ms). Construction on them both began in the 1770s, in the period that preceded the signing of the Treaty of San Ildefonso. The two fortresses do, however, have different scales and different locations. The Fort of Nova Coimbra was initially a small fortification, built to defend a position on the vast River Paraguay. It was given a new design and layout in the late 18th century by Ricardo Franco de Almeida Serra, becoming an irregular fortification adapted to the extremely hilly terrain upon which it had been built. This work resulted in a relatively small fort, but one that was harmoniously integrated into the surrounding landscape. The Fortress of Príncipe da Beira resulted from the collaboration between the ideas of Luís de Albuquerque de Melo Pereira e Cáceres, the governor, and the theoretical and practical activities of Domingos Sambucetti, the engineer. It is a regularly shaped fortification with four bastions, resembling the Fortress of São José de Macapá in both its shape and size. The well-hewn stone used to build the walls appears in its natural dark colour, providing what now remains of the fortress with an extraordinary impression of grandeur.
But, in addition to the forts, it was the towns that were founded on the border, together with their inhabitants, that were to become the "walls of the hinterland areas'! All the governors of the captaincy of Mato Grosso devoted their efforts to building these virtual walls. Dom António Rolim de Moura founded the capital, Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade (mt) in 1752, scrupulously following the royal instructions that it should be built on the banks of the River Guaporé, with straight and "elegant' streets. But it was Luís de Albuquerque de Melo Pereira e Cáceres who was responsible for the largest number of urban settlements, which, on the River Paraguay, included Vila Maria do Paraguai and Albuquerque, nowadays known respectively as Cáceres (mt) and Corumbá (ms), two important urban centres in the area, as well as Casal Vasco (mt), on the River Barbados, close to Vila Bela (of which only ruins now remain). In the square that gave rise to the town of Cáceres, the boundary stone of Jauru has been preserved, one of the obelisks used in the demarcation of boundaries.
But, whereas on the border of Mato Grosso, the towns were created out of nothing, being established at the direct initiative of the governors (who, in order to bring this about, had, in certain instances, to bring the settlers themselves to the area), in Minas Gerais, in most cases, it was the opposite that took place. There were several centres of settlement that sprang up spontaneously, the encampments of miners, the resting places for merchants, the small wayside villages that were gradually converted into large urban agglomerations. In the local parlance of the region of Minas Gerais, the miners' encampment or arraial became synonymous with the word settlement.
Normally, in the colony, the word arraial meant the same as it still means today in Portugal, in other words an encampment (initially a military one) or also a place where festivities or bazaars are held. The best way for understanding this term is the ephemeral nature of the site. What it is interesting to note, however, is that, in Minas Gerais, this term became associated with the notion of a permanent settlement. Until they obtained the status of a town, most settlements founded there continued to be identified as arraiais, even when their initial function was not to serve as an encampment for miners. It was at these arraiais, generally founded by Paulista explorers, but soon welcoming the successive waves of immigrants from Bahia, from all parts of the coast and even directly from Portugal itself, that the deeply urban culture of Minas Gerais emerged. This was a specific kind of urban culture that was directly linked to the mines, over which the streets were built, being adapted to the hilly terrain.
The formation of the urban centre of Ouro Preto (mg) can be taken as an example of this process. In the late 17th century, the success of the various expeditions into these undiscovered territories attracted many people there. The different groups settled in successive arraiais running along the valleys of the Serra do Ouro Preto, following the streams where the gold was to be found. According to an account written at that time, they gave the appearance of forming "one continuous street'. Several chapels were built in prominent positions in the mountains, close to the main deposits. In the first decade of the 18th century, the chapels of the two main arraiais were raised by the bishop of Rio de Janeiro to the status of parish churches: Our Lady of Pilar, in the arraial of Ouro Preto, and Our Lady of the Conception, in the arraial of António Dias. In 1711, the two parishes were joined together to form one single town, which was given the name of "Vila Rica” ('rich town'). Initially, the settlement was composed of several scattered centres. The spaces between them were gradually occupied, resulting in a linear and continuous shape, following a longitudinal axis to which side streets were later added, always overcoming the mountainous terrain. It was generally recognised that this was "not a very suitable place” for building, but "in view of the riches that the mines promised” everyone agreed that the town should be established there.
A similar process was to be noted at several other sites. Under certain circumstances, the authorities even sought to transfer the settlement to less hilly terrain, as was the case with São João del Rei (mg). The governor had the pillory erected in a new square, which was intended to provide a new centre for the settlement, although this measure did not have any real effect, at least not immediately. In fact, in most cases, the development and urbanism of the towns was a gradual process. It was mostly controlled by the municipal councils themselves, as was the case in Sabará (mg), Tiradentes (mg) and São João de Rei (mg). Even in those cases where the intervention of the crown was particularly notable, the activity of the local councils was still fundamental for the town's development. Let us take Mariana (mg) as an example. Its regular layout has traditionally been attributed to the engineer José Fernandes Pinto Alpoim, who drew up the plan for the town when it was raised to the status of a city, with the purpose of its serving as the see for the bishopric of Minas Gerais. However, the reality was far more complex than this, since in addition to whatever plan had been drawn up by the engineer, we must similarly consider not only the factors that had determined the nature of the already existing arraial, but also the activities of the various other agents involved in the process, who implemented the plan and adapted it over time. It is also thought that Alpoim designed the urban layout of Barbacena (mg), where he had a hand in the design of the frontispiece of the Parish Church of Our Lady of Mercy. The engineer was responsible for drawing up the plan for the Governors' Palace, in Ouro Preto, designing a building in the shape of a fortress, whose bastions had watchtowers in each of its four corners, which was supposed to unequivocally symbolise the power of the crown.
It should be stressed that one of the most important aspects of the crown's activities in the captaincy of Minas Gerais was precisely its management of the territory's administrative structure, which was essential not only for ensuring that riches were to be gained there, but also for guaranteeing stability in an area that was naturally prone to conflict. The region underwent rapid demographic growth and witnessed the emergence of several spontaneous settlements. As Cláudia Damasceno Fonseca emphasises, the crown was relatively parsimonious in the way in which it decided which centres of population should be raised to the status of a town. There are several examples mentioned here of settlements demanding to be turned into towns, but only obtaining this status in the 19th century. Among others, we have the examples of Catas Altas (mg), Conceição do Mato Dentro (mg), and Santa Bárbara (mg).
Yet, while not all settlements were able to have a town hall, it is safe to say that every centre of population in Minas had at least one church. The religious architecture in Minas is one of the most significant and cohesive categories of the heritage left by the colonial period in Brazil. There are a number of important aspects that need to be taken into account when studying this great unity. First of all, the fact that there were no buildings belonging to religious orders in Minas Gerais meant that specific typologies were created for both the churches of the brotherhoods and the parish churches. The chronology of the various constructions, which were mainly built in the 18th century, also determined the identity and stylistic coherence of the whole. The density of the population contributed to the demand for such buildings and the riches provided by the mines helped to pay for the various commissions that were made. But what undoubtedly contributed to the uniqueness of the religious art and architecture in the region of Minas Gerais was the quality of the artists and artisans who carried out the works, with António Francisco Lisboa, popularly known as O Aleijadinho (the "Little Cripple”), playing a leading role in such matters.
Much has been written about the life and work of this exceptional and multifaceted artist. This is not the place to present all of the themes that are discussed in the bibliography about the underlying bases of his creative processes or the extent to which he brought together different influences and styles in his work. It is merely important for us to remember that, for various reasons, it is inappropriate to discuss O Aleijadinho in isolation from the other artists and architects of his time. His work belongs to a much greater whole, in which we can identify various strands linking features that came directly from the metropolis with other features that revealed a certain continuity within the colony itself, as well as with others that seem to have been brought from afar. This process afforded buildings a hint of exoticness, such as the Chinese influences that can be seen in the choir stalls of the Cathedral of Mariana, or the paintings of the Parish Church of Our Lady of the Conception and the Church of Our Lady of Ó in Sabará (mg), all of which were probably produced by an artist originating from India! A decoration in a similar Oriental style can also be found in the Chapel of Santana, in Barão de Cocais (mg).
In what has now become a classical study of the baroque style in the region of Minas Gerais, Lourival Gomes Machado said, "it is time for us to pay less attention to the transposed elements, as such and only as such, since they will necessarily seem like expressions that primarily belonged to other social environments, when our specific task is to determine their use and function in a new and diverse environment'! In this sense, Minas Gerais does in fact represent a synthesis between the reception and transformation of forms. Whereas the sources adopted are clearly identifiable in several aspects, in other aspects what is evident is the change that they were subjected to. But the most significant fact is that a particular framework of different stylistic references was effectively created there, with the various relationships between them being increasingly identified by scholars. Amongst the different factors contributing towards this situation were not only the fact that the work was all concentrated in one geographical area, but also the fact that there was a great concentration of artists there, who came either directly from the metropolis or from other regions in the colony, as well as others who were even born in the region of Minas Gerais itself (such as the famous O Aleijadinho). The chronological proximity of the different commissions that were made for religious buildings also helped to generate a climate of reciprocal emulation, both amongst the patrons and amongst the artists themselves.
It is, above all, within this context of a baroque culture that we must consider the way in which the society and artists of this mining region committed themselves to the elevation and refinement of their everyday life. Even the slaves participated in the process, building churches that were as rich as or even richer than those of their masters. But it is interesting to note that, despite the great abundance of gold, the churches in Minas Gerais do not have as much gilding as those on the Coast. In Minas Gerais, there is a greater combination of decorative elements: the carved wood gradually became more rococo in style and became lighter; painting played a crucial role in the decoration of ceilings and the panels placed on the wall; while there was also less use made of glazed tiles. One author has compared the monumentality of the churches in the northeast to Bach's cantatas, whereas the theatricality of the churches in the region of Minas Gerais is considered to be more akin to Mozart's operas.
Most scholars have identified a typology into which the first parish churches in Minas Gerais can be slotted. These churches have façades that follow a similar pattern, with one door surmounted by two windows at the level of the choir in the central bay, flanked by two rectangular towers, generally crowned by belfries with pyramid-shaped roofs. The initially straight pediment later adopted some more dynamic shapes, while the towers were given roofs. There are several churches that fit this description, displaying only slight variations. In the Parish Church of Our Lady of Nazareth in the district of Morro Vermelho, in Caeté (mg), the façade follows the traditional model. However, it has three windows at the level of the choir, instead of two, and a trefoil oculus placed at the centre of a straight pediment. In the Parish Church of Our Lady of the Conception of Mato Dentro (mg), there are two windows at the level of the choir, in this case with a balcony, while the oculus placed in the undulating pediment has the shape of a stylised fleur de lys. In the Parish Church of Saint Antony in Santa Bárbara (mg), despite the introduction of rococo ornamentation at the front, the façade has remained faithful to the general typology of parish churches in the first half of the 18th century.
In terms of their floor plans, the Parish Church of Our Lady of the Conception in Sabará (mg), the Cathedral of Mariana (mg) and the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, in the district of Santa Rita Durão in Mariana (mg), are among the small group of churches with three naves. There is a much greater number of churches that followed the predominant floor plan in Brazil, which consisted of a single nave flanked by side aisles, with the sacristy at the same height as the chancel. The churches that adhere to this typology are: the Parish Church of Our Lady of the Conception in Prados (mg), composed in such a way as to emphasise its square shape - but much squatter and with highly exuberant decorative elements that are distinct from the region's predominantly rococo style; and the Parish Church of Our Lady of the Conception in Catas Altas (mg), which has a series of distinctive elements, such as the galilee below the choir and the elegant "pistil-shaped tops” of the towers, which Bazin claims were directly inspired by the towers of the churches in the district of Viana do Castelo.
Silva Telles says that, since they did not have a clearly defined function, the side aisles gradually disappeared and the bell towers became more prominent beside the naves. It is important here to mention the example of the Church of Saint Francis of Paola in Ouro Preto (mg), which, although it was built in the 19th century, still has the typical features of buildings from the second half of the 18th century. As soon as they were detached from the nave, the towers were turned into one of the most significant features used by the artists of Minas Gerais to give a more dynamic appearance to the façades of churches.
According to Myriam R. de Oliveira, the Church of Saint Iphigenia in Ouro Preto (mg) seems to have been the first church in Minas to feature some major innovations, including the slightly recessed towers in relation to the frontispiece and the semicircular cornice above the oculus. Manuel Francisco Lisboa, O Aleijadinho’s father, was entrusted with the task of carrying out several inspections of that work, and its design was also attributed to him, due to the building's several similarities with his plan for the Parish Church of Our Lady of Good Success, in Caeté (mg), where he used more prominent towers.
In the churches designed by O Aleijadinho, the towers play a crucial role in their composition. It is interesting to see this process in the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel of Ouro Preto (mg), which was originally designed by the father, but completed by the son. The main façade became thicker, undulating and advancing beyond the towers. These were detached from the rest of the church on three of their sides, which were also curved. On the side façade, an element appeared that resulted from the thickening of the wall in order for it to hold the spiral stairs leading to the pulpits. The choir was also undulating. The cymation was now curved and undulating and the oculus was brought down from the pediment into the façade's main body, being connected through the sculptural work to the main door. Inside, it was the wall of the crossing arch that was moved, creating cut corners and affording a more dynamic solution for the nave. This was a feature that had already been tried out in Portugal (it was used in Lisbon by Manuel Antunes in the Church of Menino Deus) and would later be simulated with only the altarpieces arranged at an angle.
In the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, in Ouro Preto (mg), the way in which the façade has been brought further forward is even more evident. The cylindrical towers are set back a little and serve as a pivot for the transition to the side façade. The convex arrangement of the walls of the façade places monumental columns at the corners, creating a perspective that is reinforced by the magnificent sculptural work on the portal, associated with a medallion that replaces the oculus and on which one can see Saint Francis receiving the stigmata, one of the masterpieces of O Aleijadinho. The church has been attributed to him based on oral tradition and several authors also consider it his masterpiece, but there are those who question this attribution both of the architectural design and of some features in the interior.
In the Parish Church of Saint John the Baptist in Barão de Cocais (mg), ofwhich O Aleijadinho is also considered to be the architect, one can see certain features typically used in his designs, such as the raised cornice that forms a semicircle above the oculus, as well as the positioning of the round towers, set at an angle of 45° in relation to the façade. It is probable that O Aleijadinho also had a hand in the alterations made to the façade and towers of the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel of Sabará (mg) and his influence is also clearly evident in the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel of Mariana (mg), where the round towers were set back, behind the pediment, as in the Church of Saint Francis in Ouro Preto, but without the "rotating movement' that is characteristic of the latter building. In the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi in São João del Rei (mg), attention is drawn in particular to the productive collaboration between O Aleijadinho and Francisco de Lima Cerqueira, born in Braga, who has been credited with the design of the circular towers with balconies at the top, the gracious shaping of the oculi and the side windows, the building's floor plan itself (with its sinuous elliptical nave, elongated chancel and side sacristy) and the new design of the portal, conceived and executed in collaboration with O Aleijadinho. In the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, also in São João del Rei (mg), the same master builder repeats the basic features used in the Church of Saint Francis, but makes substantial changes to the towers.
The elliptical floor plan of the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi in São João del Rei directs our attention to the important group of churches with a polygonal floor plan in Minas Gerais. In the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, in Ouro Preto (mg), and the Church of Saint Peter of the Clergymen, in Mariana (mg), two intertwined ovals form the nave and chancel. In the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary in Ouro Preto, the two cylindrical towers precede the nave and stand either side of the three-arched portico. Both churches were built by José Pereira dos Santos, responsible for the Town Hall and Prison in Mariana and also the builder of the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi in Mariana (mg). In Minas Novas (mg), in the Church of Saint Joseph, the nave has an octagonal floor plan and is covered with a pyramid-shaped roof with eight slopes.
The Parish Church of Our Lady of Pilar in Ouro Preto (mg) has one of the most impressive interiors in the region of Minas Gerais. The nave's decagonal shape has no effect on the outer appearance of the building, which follows the traditional rectangular format, although it is already suggested to some extent in the façade. The interior almost literally gives the impression of a stage set that is further complemented by the theatrical appearance of the carved woodwork and paintings. It is a false wooden structure, with props supporting the altarpieces and galleries, which continue up to the ceiling. The carpentry necessary for this work was completed by António Francisco Pombal, the brother of Manuel Francisco Lisboa.
One category that has a number of significant examples is that of the churches with one single central tower incorporated into a façade that repeats the convex shape of its bevelled corners, a group that includes the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary in Conceição do Mato Dentro (mg). With a polygonal floor plan, the façade with its single central tower spreads across five faces, with slightly curved bevels. In Serro (mg), the Chapel of Saint Rita has a bevelled façade with three faces, a single central tower with a square cross section, and a pyramid-shaped roof. But the most significant example of this series, and one of the oldest, is the magnificent Church of Our Lady of Ó in Sabará (mg), which provides a surprising contrast between its external simplicity and its interior beauty. The same can be said of the Church of Santana in the district of Inhaí, in Diamantina (mg), or the Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary, in Itabira (mg), or even the Parish Church of Saint Antony in Itaverava (mg), which specialists consider to be "one of the rare Brazilian examples of a rococo interior, in which carving, painting and religious sculpture combine to form a perfectly integrated decorative synthesis, with great expressive power”
From the surprising nature of these impressive interiors, we now move on to the austerity and beauty of the setting of the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos, in Congonhas do Campo (mg), with its prophets and the stations of the Passion, unquestionably one of O Aleijadinho’s major works, a truly poetic discourse in the open air. And, in this same baroque experience, we can include the Chapels of the Stations, inserted amidst the urban fabric, in Ouro Preto, Sabará or São João Del Rei, which continue to be used in the processions during Holy Week.
Their greater remoteness and the fewer riches to be obtained from the mines in those regions resulted in the fact that, in Goiás and Mato Grosso, one does not find so many or such sophisticated examples as in Minas Gerais. There is a certain sobriety that was typical of the bandeirantes to be noted in the Parish Church of Our Lady of the Rosary in Pirenópolis (go), one of the few churches that were preserved in Goiás, and this same sensation can also be felt in the Church of Our Lady of Santana do Sacramento, in Chapada dos Guimarães (mt), both of which are large-sized churches. In Cuiabá (mt), the small Church of Our Lady of the Rosary and Saint Benedictus has been preserved. In Goiás (go), the Church of Our Lady of Good Death and the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel have octagonal naves on the inside, and the Church of Our Lady of the Abbey has the particularity of being positioned as a direct continuation of the urban fabric, on a corner of Rua da Abadia, with a side entrance that leads directly to the nave.
The former capital of Goiás (go) provides one of the most interesting examples of a Town Hall and Prison in colonial Brazil. It is an apparently simple building, but it reveals the erudition of its design in the set of windows symmetrically arranged on each side of the central door. The building is completed by a small belfry positioned at the top of the façade's vertical axis. The same arrangement with a central belfry, but with a more sophisticated treatment, can be found in the Town Hall and Prison in Mariana (mg) and in the similar building in Ouro Preto (mg). In both cases, these buildings are preceded by staircases that considerably enhance the monumental appearance of the whole. The one in Mariana was built by José Pereira dos Santos and, together with the churches of Saint Francis of Assisi and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, both located in the same square, it forms one of the most significant urban centres in colonial Brazil. The same can be said of the relationship established between the imposing Town Hall and Prison of Ouro Preto and the Governors' Palace that stands opposite it. The design produced by the architect Manuel
Ribeiro Guimarães, with a central portico with a staircase and tower was probably inspired by the Capitol in Rome and, when it was built, the present-day Praça Tiradentes was given a more regular appearance, with the demolition of a number of houses that obstructed the view of the building. Contrasting with the monumentality of the town halls built in the main municipalities of the region of Minas Gerais is the example of the small Town Hall and Prison of Pilar de Goiás (go), which has a side staircase and pierced windows on the upper floor: the only access to the prison cells on the ground floor was through a trapdoor on the upper floor.
Amongst the most common features of urban equipment in the mining cities were the fountains. They gave the city a more dynamic and a more attractive appearance and were frequently one of the focal points of urban life. They are mainly wall fountains with decorated cartouches.
Examples include the Chafariz do Rosário, in Sabará (mg), as well as the Chafariz dos Contos in Ouro Preto (mg), amongst others, but also including the Chafanz.do.Passo
designed by António Dias, the Chafariz de Marília, designed by Manuel Francisco Lisboa, the Chafariz do Alto das Cabeças, by Francisco Lima Cerqueira and the Chafariz do Alto da Cruz, in which the female bust at the top is considered to have been the work of O Aleijadinho. In the Chafariz de São José, in Tiradentes (mg), the boundary is surrounded by low masonry walls with benches, forming a small courtyard in front of the fountain. The beautiful Chafariz da Boa Morte, in Goiás (go), was also placed in an open area.
In the urban centres of the Goiás region, one can still find the original features of the urban civil architecture from the colonial period, with mainly single-storey houses. The most cohesive example is that of the former capital Goiás (go). The northern arraiais or settlements, in the region of Tocantins, such as Natividade (go), clearly show influences from Bahia.
In Pilar de Goiás (go), there is a surviving house with shutters on the windows and paintings inside the rooms, known as the "house of the princess' which is considered the best example of an urban residential building from that period in Goiás. The shutters, gelosias or muxarabis are movable panels in the form of a wooden trellis, which were placed in the window frames so as to prevent excessive light and heat from penetrating into the house, and so that the interior could not be seen from the street. This was common practice in colonial Brazil, reviving a Moorish custom that had gradually been abolished in the metropolis after the new laws introduced by King Manuel I. In the district of Santa Rita Durão, in Mariana (mg), there is also a house with shutters of this type and, in Diamantina (mg), there are several examples, including the famous House of Chica da Silva with its beautiful side veranda, entirely adorned with shutters, as well as the António Torres Library.
The interiors of houses decorated with paintings are another feature of the urban civil architecture to be found in the region of Minas Gerais, reflecting the great height of elegance obtained by the society there. Among other examples, we can mention the House of Father Toledo, in Tiradentes (mg). Eight of the fourteen rooms in the house have gamela ceilings with rococo paintings. Attention is drawn in particular to the allegorical depiction of the five senses (a common theme in decorative paintings of that period), figures from Greek mythology, and the paintings of Brazilian fruits in the dining-room. In Sabará (mg), an important centre for painting, on the main floor of the Gold Assaying Office and the Royal Foundry, where the chief of police and his family used to live, the ceiling of the great hall is decorated with an interesting allegorical painting representing the four continents.
According to Silva Telles, urban civil architecture followed a standard pattern, with the rooms intended for social use at the front, the sleeping quarters in the middle of the house and a large room intended for family use at the back, which was also referred to as the veranda and was enclosed through a set of windows that sometimes ran along the entire length of the rear façade. The upper floor was generally added later on. In many cases, it was built as late as the 19th century. This construction in separate phases led to irregularities in the alignment of the storeys, as can be seen in the group of houses in Rua Direita, in Ouro Preto (mg). There is another important group of sobrados in Rua Direita in Sabará (mg) and in Mariana (mg).
There are two exceptional examples of late 18th-century civil architecture from the region of Minas Gerais: the Casa dos Contos (Tax Inspectorate) in Ouro Preto (mg), with its beautiful and monumental stone staircase in the lobby and its ceiling decorated with original 18th-century paintings in the great hall of the upper floor; and the Chapter House in Mariana (mg), which, according to Bazin, is "one of the most elegant rococo buildings in Brazil'.
Just one example of rural architecture is mentioned in this region, the house of the Babilónia Estate in Pirenópolis (go), where one can still see the persistence of the bandeirante model, with the guestroom and the chapel on either side of the veranda. But, although this single reference reinforces the profoundly urban nature of the settlement and occupation of the Brazilian hinterland, it should not be inferred that the region of Minas Gerais consisted just of the mining areas. The rural area was also occupied, along with the development of urban centres, ensuring the sustainability of the territory and replacing the mines in their major economic role within the region as soon as their importance began to dwindle.