Mercado Velho
Mercado Velho (Mercado dos Tropeiros)
An 1830s wooden market built for mule trains, with a weekend market selling cheese, cane liquor, and handicrafts.
The Old Market, also known as the Mule Market, was built in the 1830s as a resting and trading place for pack-mule caravans. Its wooden roof is supported by a row of curved wooden arcades, and it is said that these curves inspired Oscar Niemeyer's colonnades at the Alvorada Palace in Brasília. Today it serves as a cultural center and weekend market. On Saturday mornings, local farmers sell Minas cheese, cane liquor, jams, pastries, and handicrafts, and you can browse and taste as you go. Located on Praça Barão de Guaicuí in the old town, about three minutes on foot from the cathedral.
Opening hours
Market about Saturdays 07:00–13:00; nearby shops open daily
Nearby sights
- Catedral Metropolitana de Santo Antônio
- Rua da Quitanda & Vesperata
- Museu do Diamante
- Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo
- Igreja de São Francisco de Assis
- Casa de Chica da Silva
- Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário dos Pretos
- Casa de Juscelino Kubitschek