Neighboring municipalities are Capelinha, Chapada do Norte, Leme do Prado, Novo Cruzeiro, Setubinha, Turmalina and Virgem da Lapa.

The settlement was elevated to the status of a town on October 2, 1730, receiving the name Vila de Nossa Senhora do Bom Sucesso das Minas Novas da Contagem.

Created as a village in Vila do Príncipe (today the municipality of Serro), Minas Novas belonged to the territory of Bahia until September 28, 1760.

It once again became part of the captaincy of Minas Gerais, under the jurisdiction of the Ouvidor of Serro Frio Comarca but remained ecclesiastically linked to the Diocese of Jacobina, in Bahia.

[9] The city's architectural heritage is extensive and consists of old buildings, among which the Sobradão stands out, a construction from 1821, made of wattle and daub, in the Baroque style and four floors.