History of Belo Horizonte in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: March 6, 2026

Belo Horizonte is Brazil's sixth-largest city and third-largest metropolitan area, anchoring a region of 6 million people. As the capital of Minas Gerais, Brazil's second-most populous state, it holds significant political and economic importance. Notably, Belo Horizonte was the first planned modern city in Brazil, a unique distinction in its urban development.

1906: Name changed to Belo Horizonte

In 1906, the name of the city was changed to Belo Horizonte, which means "Beautiful Horizon" in English. This name was inspired by the surrounding Curral del Rey Mountains.

1922: Obelisk built at Sete de Setembro Square

In 1922, an obelisk was built in the Sete de Setembro Square to mark the one hundred years of Brazilian independence from Portugal.

1946: Closure of Pampulha Casino

In 1946, the Pampulha Casino, designed by Oscar Niemeyer, was closed.

1949: American government film review

In 1949, an American government film favorably reviewed the planning and building of Belo Horizonte.

1950: Host city of the 1950 FIFA World Cup

In 1950, Belo Horizonte was one of the host cities for the FIFA World Cup.

1950: Arena Independência during the 1950 FIFA World Cup

The Arena Independência was built for the 1950 FIFA World Cup. It was the site of the "Miracle Match," when the United States beat England 1-0.

1957: Re-opening of Pampulha Casino as Art Museum

In 1957, the Pampulha Casino was re-opened as the Art Museum.

September 5, 1965: Official opening of Mineirão stadium

On September 5, 1965, the Mineirão stadium was officially opened, aiming to be the most modern stadium of Brazil and the new home of Atlético Mineiro and Cruzeiro.

1970: Inauguration of Palácio das Artes

In 1970, the Palácio das Artes was inaugurated, comprising theaters, art galleries, a movie theater, a bookstore, a coffee shop and photography exhibition space.

1970: Establishment of Giramundo Puppet Theatre

In 1970, the puppet theatre group Giramundo was established in Belo Horizonte and continues to maintain a puppetry museum.

1974: FIAT Plant Opening

In 1974, FIAT opened its plant in Betim, a part of greater Belo Horizonte, contributing to the industrial development of the region.

July 1, 1980: Visit by John Paul II

On July 1, 1980, Pope John Paul II visited Praça do Papa and held a youth mass there.

1988: Creation of Baleia State Park

In 1988, the 102 hectares (250 acres) Baleia State Park was created in Belo Horizonte, but was still not implemented as of 2014.

1993: Right to Food Innovations

In 1993, under mayor Patrus Ananias de Souza, Belo Horizonte initiated a series of innovations based on the "right to food," including farmers' markets and regular market price surveys. These innovations, linked with participatory budgeting, reduced the infant mortality rate by 50% in a decade.

1994: Creation of Serra do Rola-Moça State Park

In 1994, part of the 3,941 hectares (9,740 acres) Serra do Rola-Moça State Park was created in Belo Horizonte.

1996: Renovation of Pampulha Art Museum

In 1996, the Pampulha Art Museum underwent renovation, adding new multimedia rooms, a library, café bar, a souvenir shop and technical infrastructure.

1999: Inauguration of the Comida di Buteco festival

In 1999, Belo Horizonte started hosting the Comida di Buteco festival, a food festival that selects the bar with the best appetizers.

May 21, 2004: Inauguration of Pampulha Ecological Park

On May 21, 2004, the Pampulha Ecological Park was inaugurated. It is administered by the Zoo-Botanical Foundation of Belo Horizonte and offers environmental, cultural and patrimonial education programs.

2005: Inter-American Development Bank meeting

In 2005, Belo Horizonte hosted the Inter-American Development Bank meeting, attracting people from all over the world.

2005: World Mayor Nomination

In 2005, former mayor Fernando da Mata Pimentel was nominated for World Mayor due to the Vila Viva project and other programs aimed at urbanizing favelas and reducing unemployment in Belo Horizonte.

2009: Future Policy Award

In 2009, Belo Horizonte's food policies garnered the first "Future Policy Award" from the World Future Council for promoting a just and sustainable future.

2010: Government offices moved to Cidade Administrativa

In 2010, government offices moved to the "Cidade Administrativa", and the old "palaces" are being turned into museums.

2010: Creation of Circuito Cultural Praça da Liberdade

In 2010, the Circuito Cultural Praça da Liberdade was created to explore cultural diversity with interactive options open to the public.

2010: Demographic Data for Belo Horizonte

In 2010, the city of Belo Horizonte had 428,893 opposite-sex couples and 1,090 same-sex couples. The population was 53.1% female and 46.9% male.

2010: Data Source

In 2010, the data was sourced from IBGE.

June 2012: Co-management of Circuito Cultural Praça da Liberdade

Since June 2012, the Circuito Cultural Praça da Liberdade has been co-managed by the Instituto Sérgio Magnani through a partnership with the Minas Gerais Government.

December 2012: Completion of Mineirão reconstruction

In December 2012, the reconstruction of the Mineirão stadium was completed. The project involved the complete reconstruction of the bottom tier, an extension of the roof, and refurbishments to upgrade the stadium to FIFA standards.

February 3, 2013: First match at the reopened Mineirão

On February 3, 2013, the first match was played at the reopened Mineirão stadium. It was a state championship match between Cruzeiro and Atlético.

2013: Host of the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup

In 2013, Belo Horizonte shared as host of the FIFA Confederations Cup.

2014: Baleia State Park not implemented

As of 2014, the Baleia State Park, which was created in 1988, was still not implemented.

2014: Mineirão Redevelopment for the 2014 FIFA World Cup

By the time Brazil won their bid to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup, it was clear that Mineirão stadium needed to undergo a large redevelopment.

2014: Host city of the 2014 FIFA World Cup

In 2014, Belo Horizonte was one of the host cities for the FIFA World Cup.

2014: Mineirão hosted FIFA World Cup matches

In 2014, Mineirão hosted six matches during the FIFA World Cup.

2015: Marcelo Melo won the 2015 French Open

In 2015, Marcelo Melo from Belo Horizonte won the French Open men's doubles championship.

2016: Host of the football tournament during the 2016 Summer Olympics

In 2016, Belo Horizonte shared as host of the football tournament during the Summer Olympics.

2016: Bruno Soares won the 2016 Australian Open

In 2016, Bruno Soares from Belo Horizonte won the Australian Open men's doubles and mixed doubles championship.

2016: Mineirão hosted Olympic football tournament

In 2016, Mineirão was one of the playing venues of the Olympic football tournament.

2017: Construction of Atlético's arena kicked off

In 2017, construction kicked off on Atlético's own arena in the Califórnia neighbourhood.

April 20, 2020: Construction broke ground on Atlético's arena

On April 20, 2020, construction broke ground on Atlético's arena after delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021: Population Statistics

As of 2021, according to Brazil's National Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte consisted of 34 municipalities and a population of around six million inhabitants.

2022: Population Census in Belo Horizonte

According to the 2022 census, there were 2,315,560 people residing in the city of Belo Horizonte with the following distribution: 1,008,878 White people (43.6%), 986,302 Pardo (Multiracial) people (42.6%), 312,920 Black people (13.5%), 4,881 Asian people (0.2%), 2,486 Amerindian people (0.1%).

April 15, 2023: Inauguration of Atlético's stadium

On April 15, 2023, Atlético's stadium was inaugurated.

August 27, 2023: First official match at Atlético's stadium

On August 27, 2023, the first official match was held at Atlético's stadium, with Atlético Mineiro hosting Santos for the 2023 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A.