In 1702 the king of Portugal granted "Major Augusto" (d. 1772) the right to explore for and extract gold in the Vila Rica region of Minas Gerais called Palácio Velho. The ore was removed and gold extracted exclusively by slaves captured by the Portuguese in Africa. Originally named the"Mina da Encardideira", this gold mine produced exactly 25 metric tons and seven grams of gold until 1888 when slavery was abolished. The owner of the mine was required to pay the crown "um quinto" (one fifth) of the production of gold per year to maintain his claim to the mine. The mine was also a source of diamonds, black tourmaline and aqua marine gemstones.

In 1740 a black African king named Galanga, the royal family, court and entire tribe were captured and brought to Minas gerais as slaves. Galanga was baptized "Chico", short for Fransisco, and the lot was bought by Major Augusto to work in his goldmine. The slaves suffered many indignities and cruelties but none more than Chico Rei (king). In the last half of the 17th century, the mine began to wane in its production of gold. Having a great deal of respect for this African king, the owner sold him the gold mine and his freedom with money that he himself loaned to Chico. Miraculously, the mine´s production increased substantially and Chico Rei used the gold to buy freedom for his former subjects.

After Chico´s death in 1784 due to hepatitis, the mine was not very productive. On May 03, 1888, slavery was abolished by Brazilian Princess Isabel. The mine was no longer viable and closed due to the lack of slave labor. The decades past and the entrance to the mine became overgrown by plants and even a stone wall. Its significance and location were forgotten.

In 1946 Dona Maria Bárbara de Lima and her husband bought the former residence of Major Augusto not knowing that the property contained the entrance to the Mina da Encardideira gold mine. In the 1950´s Dona Bárbara´s young son, Giovanni, found that the stones in the wall behind their house were loose. After removing several they discovered the entrance to the goldmine. After a quick exploratory trip inside they consulted an old encylopedia and rediscovered the Mina da Encardideira gold mine. They baptized the mine as the Chico Rei Goldmine in honor of the African king who spent his life in the mine to set his people free.

Mina de Ouro Chico ReiMaria Bárbara de LimaRua Dom Silvéro, 108 (ex-Palácio Velho)Bairro António Dias 35400-000 Ouro Preto, MG, BrazilPhone: 55-31-551-1749