Fortaleza, Belo Horizonte, Congonhas, Ouro Preto, Mariana, São João del Rei, Tiradentes, São Paulo
We planned our 2026 trip to Brazil to celebrate my birthday with family and friends in Fortaleza and São Paulo. Between time in those cities, we spent nine days exploring historic cities in Minas Gerais. We always wanted to see Ouro Preto, and this time it worked out well. We visited several UNESCO World Heritage Sites and enjoyed the fabulous comida mineira (Minas Gerais food). Here are some photos from our trip. The number in parentheses is the number of photos in that section. Clicking a thumbnail will enlarge the photo to its full size.
Fortaleza
Fortaleza was our first stop. I wanted to celebrate my birthday with family and friends. On the first night, it was just my immediate family. My brother from São Paulo flew home to join us that weekend. We had dinner at my oldest niece’s home overlooking the beautiful Cocó State Park. The next day, we had a large lunch at a local restaurant to celebrate with several of my cousins and their families. There were about 70 people present. On the third night, we met with a few friends from the binational school I used to teach at before moving to the USA.
Congonhas
After spending one night in Minas Gerais’s capital city, Belo Horizonte, we picked up our rental car and started our visit to a few historical cities in the state. The first stop was Congonhas, nestled in the mountains of Minas Gerais. The city is mainly known for the Santuário do Bom Jesus de Matosinhos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Highlights include Aleijadinho’s 12 Prophets in soapstone on the monumental terrace forecourt, the Six Stations of the Cross chapels (Passos) with polychrome wooden figures, also by Aleijadinho, and the Basilica’s interior with Rococo gilded decoration.
Antônio Francisco Lisboa (1738–1814), known to Brazilians as Aleijadinho — “the little cripple” — was the son of a Portuguese architect and an enslaved African woman. Around 1777, in his late thirties, he was struck by a debilitating disease that historians suspect was leprosy, which slowly cost him the use of his fingers and toes. And yet, he created most of his celebrated work after the illness set in, carving with a chisel and mallet strapped to what remained of his hands while his assistants carried him to and from the scaffolding.
Ouro Preto
We spent a few days exploring and enjoying the sights and food in this famous Brazilian college town. There was so much to see here. Highlights include Tiradentes Square, the Insurrection Museum, the St. Francis of Assisi Church, the Our Lady of Pilar Church, and the Our Lady of Carmo Church. Tiradentes was a key figure in Brazil’s independence. The Insurrection Museum documents several pieces of the insurrection that cost Tiradentes’s life. The St. Francis of Assisi Church is considered Aleijadinho’s masterpiece. Its façade is carved in soapstone with a ceiling painting by Mestre Ataíde. That church was voted one of the Seven Wonders of Portuguese-Origin Architecture (2009). The Our Lady of Pilar Church is one of the most lavishly gilded interiors in Brazil, with over 880 lbs (400 kg) of gold used. Our Lady of Carmo Church also features another Aleijadinho contribution. He sculpted its facade. It is an important Baroque landmark on the main square.
Mariana
On a half-day trip to Mariana, we visited three churches that featured more of Aleijadinho’s soapstone work, as well as ceiling paintings by Mestre Ataíde.
São João del Rei
Our day trip to São João del Rei was meant to see a couple of churches. However, we discovered they were both under renovation. Our photos were taken from outside those churches. São João del Rei is also the birthplace of Brazil’s first elected president after the twenty-one-year military rule. He was elected in January 1985, but on the eve of his inauguration (March 14, 1985), he fell gravely ill and died on April 21, 1985, before ever taking office. José Sarney, his vice president, assumed the presidency in his place and became the first civilian president to actually take office and serve following the military dictatorship.
Tiradentes
Although Ouro Preto is more widely known, Tiradentes was a great surprise. Walking those cobblestone streets was a trip back in time. Originally founded as São José or São José del-Rei, the town was renamed long after Tiradentes’s death, in his honor, when the Brazilian Republic was proclaimed in 1889. Tiradentes’s actual name was Joaquim José da Silva Xavier, and he earned the nickname “Tiradentes” (meaning “tooth-puller”) later in life because he worked as an amateur dentist alongside other trades. Tiradentes is regarded as a national hero and the patron martyr of Brazil’s independence. His execution by the Portuguese crown in 1792 became a lasting symbol of resistance against colonial oppression and inspired later movements that led to Brazil’s freedom.
Belo Horizonte
After the historical cities tour, we spent a couple of days in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais’ capital city. Although it is a huge metropolis – 2,415,872 people (as of 2025/2026) and the 6th most populous Brazilian city – we only had time to explore one more UNESCO World Heritage Site: Niemeyer’s Pampulha masterpiece. I’m referring to the Igreja de São Francisco de Assis. In addition to Niemeyer’s work, it is also worth mentioning the 14 Stations of the Cross panels by Cândido Portinari, the exterior azulejo tile murals, and the gardens by Roberto Burle Marx (which didn’t impress us much).
São Paulo
Our final week in Brazil was spent in São Paulo, surrounded by family. For the most part, I was under the weather, and we didn’t do much. One of the big highlights was that we were able to attend Guilherme’s (one of my great-nephews). June is a time for traditional square dance celebrations. We got to see Gui’s dancing at his school party. The party was held at the Santa Terezinha Church grounds. We sneaked to check the church (it was where Gui’s parents, Isa and Leo, got married). São Paulo’s architecture is always fascinating to my eye. That includes a brand new bridge, the Octávio Frias de Oliveira Bridge. The X-shaped concrete pylon stands 453 feet (138 m) tall and holds 144 steel cables, and the two roadways that cross the Pinheiros River are curved in opposite directions — it is the only bridge in the world with two curved decks hanging from a single pylon. Once I got better, we visited the Villa-Lobos Park. The Ruth Cardoso Orchidarium was beautiful, but it was that Southern Lapwing bird that got us chasing him around in the parking lot for that shot you see here.
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