Augen gneiss was used in the construction of most of the historical buildings of the city, including museums and churches, many of them were built in the 19th century - It was used in the sculpture of ornaments, facades and frames of doors and windows.

The exploitation of the augen gneiss was Presented by the   Jean Baptiste Debret in his book 'Voyage Pittoresque et Historique au Brésil'. 

more information on the pão de açúcar can be found on this page.