Fodor's Expert Review Casa de Chica da Silva

One of Brazil's wealthiest and most famous former slaves, Chica da Silva (also spelled Xica da Silva), lived in this colonial house with her partner, João Fernandes de Oliveira, a Portuguese diamond dealer, from 1763 to 1771. Chica da Silva's story is tied to the creation of Diamantina (then known as Arraial do Tijuco) and the heyday of diamond mining in the area. The house, now part of the state's architectural heritage, contains colonial furniture and the façade of Chica's private chapel. A permanent art exhibit shows Chica in torrid poses and tawdry clothes as a personification of the Seven Deadly Sins.