Praça Tiradentes, Square in Ouro Preto, Brazil

Praça Tiradentes is the main square of Ouro Preto, in Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is paved with irregular grey-brown cobblestones laid in roughly parallel rows that slope upward toward the left, and along the left edge a narrow strip of pavement runs in front of a low stone wall base below a long white building with a red tile roof.

In 1792, the head of Tiradentes was displayed here as a warning. The square was known as Morro de Santa Quitéria in the 18th century and as Praça da Independência for most of the 19th century, until it received its current name in 1894 with the inauguration of the monument.

The square is the stage for the city's main public events, such as Carnival and New Year's celebrations. On the balconies of the Alpoim houses, an inscription reads "para memória do benefício imortal teu nome fica gravado neste metal," and legend says the governor's lover ordered it carved there.

The square is in the heart of the historic center, so it is easy to reach on foot from nearby streets. The cobblestones are uneven and the slope can be tiring, so watch your step and take your time.

The bronze statue of Tiradentes stands with its back turned to the former governor's palace, a detail that often goes unnoticed. The square's name changed only after the monument was installed, even though the events it commemorates happened a century earlier.