What? No, Ur-uguay!

Feature, Travelogue, Uruguay — By Geoff Matthews on April 10, 2010 at 12:47 pm

Just across the river from Buenos Aires, Argentina, is the southern coast of Uruguay. A one hour ferry ride across the Rio de la Plata, the beautiful colonial town of Colonia del Sacramento is the oldest town in Uruguay. It was settled by Portugal in the 1680′s, which upset the Spanish so much they decided to set up camp directly across the river in what is now the quaint little town — and home to a humble 8 million people — of Buenos Aires. If you ask me, the Spaniards got the better of the two deals, but little Colonia does offer lots to see in its Barrio Historico, or historic district.

Colonia del Sacramento is home to just over 20,000 people, and the historic district, which is only about 10 square blocks, can be seen in a day. There are frequent ferry and bus departures for traveling back to Buenos Aires or onward to Montevideo, so we decided to store our luggage at the terminal and rent a scooter to buzz around town with the idea of taking a bus that evening to Montevideo. I must admit that after 3 months of travelling to what seems like every protected heritage site known to man, I wasn’t that thrilled to see more colonial architecture and another handicraft market. However, there were plenty of museums and picturesque streetscapes: Colonia reminded me a lot of Cartegena, Colombia, with old canons and the ruins of the walled city. Colonia really requires only an afternoon, which leaves enough time to climb to the top of the lighthouse for spectacular views of the Rio de la Plata and walk or scoot throughout the tree-lined and cobbled streets.

Picturesque Colonia del Scaramento, Uruguay.

An open door in Colonia del Scaramento, Uruguay.

Quiet tree-lined streets are the norm in Colonia del Scaramento, Uruguay.

View of the Rio de la Plata from Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay.

View of the town from the top of the lighthouse. Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay.

Uruguay’s capital city, Montevideo, is a bustling port city of over a million inhabitants, and only a two-and-a-half hour bus ride from Colonia along a scenic highway. Like many South American cities that have experienced conflict and natural disaster in the past, it has an old city and a new city. Between the two is the important Plaza Independencia, which is surrounded by the country’s oldest theatre, Solis Theatre, the impressive Palacio Salvo, and governement buildings. In the centre of the Plaza is a statue and monument to Jose Artigas, a key figure in the Spanish resistance; his ashes are on display and guarded in a mausoleum directly under the monument. We got to the monument in time for the military changing of the guard, which is every weekday at noon.

Plaza Independencia, Montevideo, Uruguay.

Changing of the guards at the Plaza Independencia, Montevideo, Uruguay.

In the Plaza Independencia. Montevideo, Uruguay.

Airconditioners. Montevideo, Uruguay.

A short walk from the plaza is Uruguayan artist and writer Joaquín Torres García’s former home, which has been transformed into a museum showcasing his work. Another site well worth a visit is the shrine to world football and site of the very first FIFA World Cup, Estadio Centenario. The stadium comes complete with a football museum comemerating football’s once feared dynasty (Uruguay), which is now overshadowed by neighboring football giants Brazil and Argentina. For those into the beach scene, Playa Blanca is only 200km up the road from Montevideo, although in the summer months it’s filled with the who’s who of South America’s rich and famous (read:expensive).

All in all, I found Uruguay exceeded my expectations, especially considering it isn’t one of the countries that immediately pops into your head when you think of South America. It is a little on the expensive side, but it helps that most museums are free to enter. It is politically stable, its citizens enjoy a high standard of living, and it is the least corrupt country in the continent; furthermore, Uruguay was the first country in Latin America to legalize same sex marriages, making it one of the more liberal societies in the region. If traveling to the region around Brazil and Argentina, put Uruguay on the agenda as you won’t need a great deal of time in this little country that packs a big punch.