Fodor's Expert Review Museu de História Natural e Jardim Botânico

Although it has an area of nearly 150 acres with Brazilian fauna, flora, archaeology, and mineralogy, the main attraction of this museum run by the Minas Gerais Federal University is the Presépio do Pipiripau (Pipiripau Crèche). This ingenious work of art narrates Christ's life in 45 scenes, with 580 moving figures. It was built by Raimundo Machado de Azevedo, who began assembling it in 1906 and finished in 1984.