Travel to the new Brazil

Our journey begins in the new Brazil (the edge of Mines). Here in the state of Minas Gerais in the east, at the end of the XVII century the Portuguese conquerors found gold. And XVIlI Beky Minas Gerais was the most densely populated region of Brazil. Over a hundred years the Portuguese sent from Brazil to Europe, 800 tons of gold. Under the current rate of price of gold exported from Brazil amounted to 25 billion euros. Today, the state capital of Minas Zherayrs, the city of Ouro Preto, a colonial era reminiscent of 20 baroque churches and zooo adits on the slopes of the mountains. Before entering into one of them made me a dwelling 42-year-old Jefferson dos Santos, whom everyone here is simply called Tete. Local mines were depleted in the early XIX century. In 1888, when Brazil abolished slavery, the great-grandmother dos Santos, also a former slave, settled in front of an abandoned gold mine. At a place that city dwellers felt cursed, and passed it by. Dos Santos said that he was glad the decision of her great-grandmother. After all, an abandoned gold mine has his little personal Klondike. He leads tours here is taken on all fours in a dark tunnel with excursionists, and candle-light hammer chisel rock, while the tourists do not tingle in my ears. Arches of tunnels in the mine is so low that they can squeeze just a small man. Therefore, the stalwart slaves, according to dos Santos, was subjected to castration, so they did not have offspring. . The children were dragged carved rubble from the mine up, women namyvali of his gold on wooden trays. Today, as prospectors are trying herself tourists alike, dos Santos to make a living. Since ancient mine helps to get an education of his 15-year-old daughter Yanaine. Among his guests few foreigners, and most tourists come from Sao Paulo. The services sector has long been the leading sector of the economy. The minimum wage has grown over the years almost doubled and is now equal to 224 euros. So many maids and construction workers, who went to work in big cities by bus and can afford to fly to a vacation home on the plane.