It was the first town we visited driving from São Paulo. We arrived in the evening.
It is located at the southeast of Minas Gerais. The city was founded by the bandeirantes (people who courageously traveled to west between indians and virgin forests with a main goal: find gold); Tomé Portes del-Rei is considered the city's founder. The original small village situated in southern Minas Gerais was created as a staging post on the Estrada Real, a trade route from the coast at Paraty to cities in the central region of Minas Gerais such as Ouro Preto, Mariana and Conselheiro Lafaiete. Later huge amounts of gold were found near the city itself.