Diamantina, Administrative region in Minas Gerais, Brazil
This administrative region in Minas Gerais, Brazil, covers hilly inland terrain and includes a historic town with colonial architecture. The area sits on a high plateau surrounded by wooded hills and valleys that were once the site of gemstone extraction.
Portuguese settlers founded the place in 1713 as a camp for diamond prospectors and later gave it the current name after large gemstone finds became known. During the 18th century, the site grew into one of the main extraction areas for diamonds in the Portuguese colony.
This town takes its name from the diamonds mined here for centuries, and that origin still shapes the streetscape with cobblestone lanes and colonial buildings. Visitors see churches with carved altars and houses with painted facades that recall the days of the gemstone trade.
Visitors reach the area by a federal highway that runs through mountain country and requires several hours of driving from the state capital. A small airport nearby offers connections for travelers who want to shorten the overland journey.
A state park within the municipality protects abandoned mining settlements and rock formations left from earlier extraction work. Hikers discover ruins of old houses beside streams that were once used for gemstone prospecting.
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