Minas Gerais

One of the ongoing sources of annoyance for me about the history and culture of Brazil, especially as portrayed in US media is the emphasis on Rio and São Paulo as well as the perception that the bulk of the country's culture is focused on the ocean. There is so much more than this.

One of the real pleasures that I have had in being married to a mineira (a woman from Minas Gerais) is gaining such an inspiring firsthand knowledge of the culture, traditions and history of her state. Minas Gerais is about the size of France with a population of about 17 million. It's outline roughly resembles a bird's head. It has some 16 river systems making one of the best states for fresh water in the country. It's greatest fame is from its name which means "General Mines" in Portuguese. Minas Gerais makes up approximately 35% of Brazil's total mine production. The land is extraordinarily rich in iron. It's not unusual to glance at a hillside and see the metal blind you momentarily as it reflects off the sun or look at a river or stream and think that you see iced tea. Precious and semi-precious gemstones and gold are found in Minas Gerais. Indeed, in Teófio Otoni, the city where Mércia's parents live and where she was born, gemstone dealers can be found in the public parks selling their products. Granite runs riot over the hillsides.

Minas Gerais was the center of Brazil's efforts to shed their Portuguese colonial masters. In the 18th Century several prominent figures living in what is now Ouro Preto, the old state capital formed a group dedicated to rebelling against the Portuguese. Known as the Inconfidência Mineira (Minas Conspiracy), the plot was uncovered and the chief perpetrator, a dentist by the name of Joaquim José da Silva Xavier better known as Tiradentes (Tooth-Puller) was hanged in Rio de Janeiro, drawn and quartered and his body parts hung around Rio as a message - with all the subtlety of a brick wall - to others considering a rebellion. His co-conspirators were exiled to Africa.

Please excuse my gross generalizations that follow, but what this has done is imbue the character of mineiros (as people from Minas are called) with a deep sense of obligation, caution, a healthy suspicion, hard work and hard-headedness. While they may not have the picture postcard glamour of Rio de Janeiro or the slick cosmopolitanism of São Paulo, their sense of tradition is breathtaking. Mineiros have a vibrant heart of gold beneath their breast of iron and once their trust is earned, their loyalty is constant and their commitment to family puts to shame the lip service politicians in the US pay to family values.

My first trip to Brazil was for our church wedding in 1995. I expected to be treated like a curiousity; the seemingly aloof gringo acquainting himself with his distant relatives. Instead I was immediately treated like a long-time family member: all my nieces and nephews (including the children of Mércia's cousins) immediately referred to me as "Tio" (uncle). There were over 400 people at our wedding and thinking of the way I was welcomed into this huge family leaves me misty-eyed nearly ten years later.

Minas' location imbued it with a sense of isolation. Being landlocked, the residents could not look to the ocean to define themselves. Instead, they looked to themselves, to their families, to the mountains and to the Roman Catholic Church (Minas is unquestionably the most solidly Catholic state in Brazil, despite the occasional lapse). Whereas the ocean defines Rio de Janeiro and Salvador, hills speak to the geographic character of Minas Gerais and they roll on in undulating waves of hypnotic beauty: the Serra de Caparaó, the Serra de Mantiqueira, the Serra do Espinhaço and the Serra da Canastra are a few of the major mountain ranges in Minas Gerais.

Minas has also produced its share of skilled politicians: Juscelino Kubitschek and Tancredo Neves to mention two of the most famous. While Bahia has Jorge Amado and Rio has its share of writers, Minas can lay claim to two of the most unique voices in Brazilian literature: the poet, Carlos Drummond de Andrade and João Guimarães Rosa whose work defies translation. As for music, if you have not been listening to Milton Nascimento, you only have yourself to blame.

Minas is Brazil's largest producer of cachaça, the sugarcane brandy that makes the now worldwide drink the caipirinha. It is also the nation's largest producer of coffee. Belo Horizonte, the state capital may have more bars per capita than any other city in Brazil. These three facts make perfect sense not because Mineiros are alcoholics, but because they are great conversationalists and love to "bate-papo" (chat). Paulistas (people from São Paulo) and Cariocas (people from Rio de Janeiro) love to tease Mineiros simply because they are different. Mineiros, however, can give as good as they can get. Here's one of my favorite jokes:

A Mineiro walks into a store in São Paulo and asks for a pinico (chamber pot). When the owner says he doesn't know what he means, the Mineiro explains to him what he's looking for.

The store owner responds by saying, "Oh!. Here we call that a Mineiro."

The Mineiro answers back by saying "Okay, give me one. I want to fill it full of Paulista."

The land is breathtaking, the citizens are warm and gracious and the culture flies in the face of stereotypes. If you travel to Brazil a visit to experience the uniqueness of Minas Gerais is not to be missed.

Comments

[stephen]

Randy,

A wonderful introduction to a fascinating place. One should also acknowledge the food of Minas Gerais, unique in Brazil. With its emphasis on long-stewing, it can be a bit stodgy at times, but it is always well-seasoned and welcomes a slug of that world-famous cachaça to cleanse the palate. Mineiro restaurants can be found throughout Brazil, acknowledging with pride the origin of the food.

We had the pleasure of eating at Dona Lucinha on our visit to Belo. Her website tells the story better than I ever could (click on the stars-and-stripes for an English introduction), and she's got a great cookbook out, if a little impractical to source some of the ingredients outside of Minas.

BTW, we're off to the US amanhã, and there's still an outside chance we'll get to NYC, possibly just for a day trip. Will let you know. New pix from our recent adventures at the family website.

[Randy Paul]

Have a safe trip! I'll e-mail you with my numbers. If you make it to NYC let me know.

Great photos, btw. You two are blessed with some beautiful kids.

Abraços,

Randy

[rock city]

HI. Thanks for the great post. I visited Minas just last June and stayed with my friend's family in the small town of Guaranesia. I was treated like a son by my friend's parents. I have never had such a warm experience. My friends father is a pilot and flew me in a small two-seater plane over the countryside at sunset, with smoke billowing from the sugar cane factories hidden in the palm tree hills. Their cars run on alcohol! And now everyone in the town knows me!

"You will return in February," they told me.

"We are waiting for you."

[Walter]

Avid mineral collectors know Minas Gerais is perhaps the single most important specimen producing region on the planet. It's on my short wish list of places to visit.