Uruguay (by EMArg)

Colonia del Sacramento: City Overview












Department (Province): Colonia
City: Colonia del Sacramento
Place: City Overview






Since the portuguese and the spanish arrived to the New World, the Río de la Plata was one of the most strategic places of the Americas because of the commercial routes who started at the inland towns and the transportation of resources, from food and spices to gold and other metals. On the period when the portuguese and the spanish divided the land onto two parts, the area between what today is Uruguay and South Brazil was actually the changing limits of both empires. The portuguese expansion went to the doors of what today is Argentina and founded Nova Colônia do Santíssimo Sacramento. From that period still remain the ruins of the Convento San Francisco Javier and some parts of the walls and the old canons. On the 18th Century, after several battles between both empires, the Spanish Crown took the town and kept it till the english landed at the beginning of the 19th Century. A few years later, Colonia del Sacramento would become the oldest town of the new Republic of Uruguay. This city looks nowadays like the old medieval and renaissance areas of the western european cities. From the urban point of view, it’s quite weird for an argentine citizen to see the layout of the streets, clearly not following the spanish grid system, and with the big amount of passageways. Its biggest attraction today is the Lighthouse and most of the tourists come from Argentina, since the town itself is just one hour away from Buenos Aires on ferry.

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Punta del Este: City Overview












Department: Maldonado
City: Punta del Este
Place: City Overview






Placed at the eastearn area of Uruguay, Punta del Este is the last big city of South America prior to the paradisiacal beaches of Brazil. Just like the cities of the Atlantic Coast of Argentina, Punta del Este has a very small population who barely exceeds 10.000 people, but it quickly turns into a big city on the summer, from december to february, with hundreds of thousands of high-class tourists from Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. However, the modern architecture is noticeably better, having in mind that is one of the most exclusive cities of Latin America. Its most famous beaches are the Mansa and Brava (that could be translated as the “Calm” and the “Brave”), named due to the intensity of the winds they receive. You may also realize that Punta del Este clearly is placed between Argentina and Brazil because of the landscapes: beaches of cold water and brown sand, but surrounded by green hills (just like the brazilian beaches). The attractions of the city, except for the gorgeous Casapueblo, are all placed at the peninsula: the Lighthouse and the Candelaria Church, the Fingers of Punta del Este, and the futuristic Conrad Hotel. It also has a Trump Tower currently on construction.

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Indeed :colgate:

midrise said:

:hmm:..You did not say or mention about the Hollywood stars who go to Punta. And the rich and famous Europeans also, both too escape the Northern Hemisphere winter. Because of the reverse seasons it is summer there. Also any one else with money too play/be with the rich and famous....In areas outside of the city, or built up area, it looks similar to Long Island, the Hampton's, in New York. With homes equally as nice and pricey.

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That's pretty interesting! Didn't know that european stars came to the city aswell.

Quick City Overview: Montevideo












Department: Montevideo
City: Montevideo
Place: City Overview






The city of Montevideo is placed at the midpoint of the most relevant commercial region of Latin America, comprehended between the capitals Santiago de Chile, the Buenos Aires-Montevideo axis, and the Sao Paulo-Río de Janeiro in Brazil. Unlike Buenos Aires, who’s actually in front of it on the other side of the Río de la Plata, its roots come from the Portuguese Empire, though it was conquered later by the Spanish Crown. Montevideo was always a direct competitor of Buenos Aires. Both ports were at a very strategic area of the commerce of those times, from the 18th Century to even today. The comparison between both cities can go on for a lot of stuff: they both shares diagonal avenues who break the grid layout of streets, they have an imposing avenue who finishes at the Congress (in the case of Montevideo, the Libertador Avenue finishing at the Legislative Palace) and even two gorgeous palaces who serve as brothers and as doors to those who enter to the region, both designed by the favourite architect of Benito Mussolini called Mario Palanti. These palaces, the Salvo of Montevideo and the Barolo of Buenos Aires, are also the starting points of the History of the Skyscrapers in both cities.

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Montevideo: Salvo Palace












Departament: Montevideo
City: Montevideo
Place: Salvo Palace







The Salvo Palace is the twin building of the architect Mario Palanti in Uruguay, who designed two big entrances to the Río de la Plata through this building and the Barolo Palace in Buenos Aires. Both are the direct demonstration of the ambitious culture and progress of the nations at this part of the world. At the same time, the comparison between these two shows us, as a result, how they complement themselves: while the Barolo Palace has a wider range of details on its facades and interiors (surely because of the opulence of the Buenos Aires of that era), the Barolo Palace is more imposing due to its size and its location on a corner, just in front of the most relevant square of Uruguay. The legend says that two lighthouses were originally planned on the top of both buildings to connect each other through light upon the river. However, this romantic legend falls apart when you take a look at the 300 km. who separate Buenos Aires and Montevideo.

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