Casa dos Contos, Colonial tax office museum in Ouro Preto, Brazil

Casa dos Contos is a three-story baroque building with a white facade and abundant stonework. Its design is attributed to Antônio de Souza Calheiros or José Pereira Arouca. The portico ornaments resemble the Aljube portal in Mariana, and the ceilings were painted by Manoel da Costa Ataíde. It stands beside the Ponte dos Contos, a bridge dated 1744.

The structure was built between 1782 and 1784 as both residence and tax collection office for Portuguese administrator João Rodrigues de Macedo. It later became connected to local independence movements when spaces within it were used to hold political prisoners.

The building once served administrative purposes and now functions as a museum where visitors walk through rooms that reveal daily life during the gold era. Its stone-carved portals and wrought iron balconies were symbols of Portuguese colonial power and wealth displayed for all to see.

The building is located in the city center and welcomes visitors who can explore the rooms independently or with a guide. Plan to spend time browsing through the document collections and moving through the different floors at a comfortable pace.

The name "Casa dos Contos" comes from the Portuguese term for public accounting, adopted after the Royal Treasury took over the building in 1797. In the basement, a space traditionally called the slave quarters displays pieces linked to slavery, though it is not proven that enslaved people were actually housed there.