 click to enlarge |
The capital and only large city sprawls along the banks of the Río de la
Plata, almost directly opposite Buenos Aires. It's a picturesque place of
colonial Spanish, Italian and Art Deco styles. Most attention is focused
on the Ciudad Vieja, the old city built on a peninsula close to the port and
harbor, and the commercial center, located around Plaza Independencia
to the east. |
 click to enlarge |
Home to almost 50% of the nation's population, Montevideo is a
modern metropolis with a historical old town dating back to colonial
times. Surrounding the whole city lies an uninterrupted stretch of
white sandy beach. |
| |
 click to enlarge |
A handful of
sandy beaches stretch along the metropolitan waterfront and are popular
excursions for the city's residents on summer weekends. |
 click to enlarge |
 click to enlarge |
|
 click to enlarge |
|
| |
 click to enlarge |
Don't miss the
Mercado del Puerto, once the finest port in South America, and now
a colorful, lively center filled with markets, restaurants, artists
and street musicians. The Feria de Tristán Narvaja is an outdoor
market peddling groceries, antiques and souvenirs. |
 click to enlarge |
 click to enlarge |
Other important sights in the area include the Museo Histórico
Nacional, which consists of four different homes filled with historical
effects, and the Museo del Gaucho y de la Moneda, which houses an
impressive display of artefacts from Uruguay's gaucho (cowboy) past. |
 click to enlarge |
Uruguay may be a small country but it has impressive artistic and literary
traditions. International acclaim has greeted artists such as Pedro Figari,
a painter of bucolic scenes, and José Enrique Rodó, arguably the nation's
greatest writer. Theater is popular and playwrights such as Mauricio
Rosencof are prominent in cultural life. |
| |
 click to enlarge |
|
 click to enlarge |
 click to enlarge |
|
 click to enlarge |
|
| The country's show-stopper is the annual Carnaval, which takes place
on the Monday and Tuesday immediately preceding Ash Wednesday.
Montevideo's staid reputation takes a battering during this time as a
brace of drummers and costumed revelers advance along its streets. Holy
Week (Easter) or La Semana Criolla offers traditional activities like
asados (barbecues), horse-breaking, cowboy stunt riding and folk music. |
 click to enlarge |
Uruguay - the smallest Hispanic country in South America - is boxed into
the eastern coast of South America by Brazil to the north and Argentina
to the west. To the south is the wide estuary of the Río de la Plata, while
the Atlantic Ocean washes its eastern shore. |
 click to enlarge |
