Objectives: to understand the maternal mortality profile in the city of Uberaba from 1996 to 2012, and compare it with national data and data from the city of Belo Horizonte. Method: a study with a quantitative approach, carried out based on secondary data from the Information Department of the Brazilian Unified Health System. The data were submitted to univariate analysis. Results: most women were single and had a low education level. In Brazil, 28,713 deaths were reported, 26 in the city of Uberaba, with a prevalence of direct obstetric deaths caused by worsening of preexisting diseases, hypertensive syndromes, and hemorrhages, a profile found in the cities of Uberaba and Belo Horizonte, whereas, in Brazil, the deaths were caused by hypertensive syndromes. Conclusion: the study reflected a poor standard of care and the need for public educational policies for the adoption of an evidence-based practice, enabling professionals to make early diagnoses and interventions to ensure safe care with quality.