Museu do Diamante
A museum on the history of diamond mining, housed in an 18th-century colonial residence, displaying mining tools, shackles, and colonial furniture.
The colonial house that holds the museum once belonged to Padre Rolim, who took part in the 1789 Inconfidência Mineira (Minas conspiracy). It is now managed by the Brazilian Institute of Museums. The exhibits tell the story of diamond extraction and royal control in the 18th-century diamond district: tools for washing diamonds, scales for weighing them, instruments of enslaved labor and punishment, as well as religious art, silverware, and colonial furniture. Together they help explain why the old town was so wealthy. Admission is low-cost. Located beside the cathedral square, and it can be visited together with the Casa de Chica da Silva.
Opening hours
Tue–Sun about 10:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- Catedral Metropolitana de Santo Antônio
- Igreja de São Francisco de Assis
- Rua da Quitanda & Vesperata
- Mercado Velho
- Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo
- Casa de Chica da Silva
- Casa de Juscelino Kubitschek
- Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário dos Pretos