URUGUAY HISTORY TODAY

Although the country of Uruguay is small, do not let that fool you.  This country has a huge heart.  When it comes to exciting attractions this destination should be at the top of the list for travel destinations.  In fact, Uruguay has the most fascinating capitals, quaint colonial towns, and cluster of renowned beach resorts in all of South America.  In this article, we wanted to provide you with a little information on history and current opportunities in Uruguay, showing you why you should consider this when looking for a great place to visit. 

The original inhabitants of this country were called Charrua Indians.  They lived by hunting and gathering foods.  Interestingly, while the Charrua Indians were a close-knit group among themselves, they did not like outsiders.  In fact, in 1516 when an explorer by the name of Juan Diaz de Solis came to Uruguay with his party, they were killed.  Then in the 17^th century, these Indians actually prospered and any hostilities toward the Spaniards began to fade, leading to strong trade. 

By 1680, Colonia on the Rio de la Plata was founded by the Portuguese, rivaling Buenos Aires, which was held by the Spanish.  In response, Spain built a citadel at Monevideo.  Then, Jose Artigas, a hero in Uruguay fought the Spanish but unfortunately, he was not able to stop a takeover by the Brazilians of Rio de la Plata, called Banda at that time.  As a result, he was forced to leave to Paraguay where he inspired the “33 Orientales”, which along with support from Argentineans, was able to free the area in 1828.  After that, Uruguay was establishes as an independent state to help create a buffer between Brazil and Argentina. 

During the 19^th century, Uruguay’s independence, still very fragile, was threatened time after time.  Then when Argentina besieged Montevideo, two political parties were established, consisting of the Colorados and Blancos.  At the same time, wool, meat, and rail industries were introduced by the British and rangy criollo stock was replaced with their own cattle.  This led to one of the country’s few resources so this meant cattle became commercialized.  With competition between the two parties continuing, the country was immersed in the civil war. 

By the early part of the 20^th century, President Jose Batlle y Ordonez accomplished reform, which led to Uruguay becoming the only welfare state in all of Latin America.  During his reign, he created a number of free social services, worked to stop the legend of strong-arm rule, and abolished capital punishment.  With this, the country began to grow and thrive, but without natural resources, trouble developed. 

Sadly, by the 1960s, the prosperity earlier enjoyed began to decline, leading to corruption.  This pushed Uruguay into dictatorship and turmoil, specifically with urban guerilla movement during the late 60’s and early 70’s.  However, Congress was dissolved and guerilla movement stopped.  While the military at that time was very much disliked, when the new President, Julio Maria Sanguinetti, took office in 1984, things began to change for the better.  Soon, Uruguay enjoyed free market reform and other positive changes. 

When visiting the country of Uruguay today, you will find it to be a beautiful and interesting destination.  For example, a number of world-renowned artists such as Jose Enrique Rodo and Pedro Figari are from Uruguay.  The country is also rich in tradition.  For instance, you will find music and dance to be an important part of life for people there.  Dance such as waltzes, tangos, folk, polkas, and so on, all came from Europe and live on as local versions.  Another huge interest of the Uruguayan people is of things – football! 

As huge meat eaters, expect to find all types of delicious dishes.  The country’s standard is called Parrillada, which is a beef platter.  Then you have Chivito, a wonderful, mouth-watering steak sandwich loaded with goodies.  For snacking in between meals, favorites include Hungaros, a spicy sausage that is wrapped up in a roll much like a hot dog bun and Olimpicos, similar to a club sandwich.  In addition to meat, Uruguayan people love mate or tea.  Of course, white wine mixed with fruit juice known, as Clerico and sparkling wine mixed with white wine called Medio y Medio are favorites. 

Uruguay is situated with Brazil to the north and Argentina to the west.  Then on the south side of the country, you have Rio de la Plata.  Because of its location, this country has a beautiful topography consisting of gorgeous beaches, headlands, dunes, low ranges, and mountains.  In addition, five rivers flow to the west, all draining into the Rio Uruguay.  For flora, you see primarily grassland although there are some areas consisting of forest.  However, if you head to the southeast along the border of Brazil, you will find some traces of palm savanna.  Then for wildlife, you will see rhea on occasion but wildlife is scarce. 

When visiting Uruguay, the weather is decent all year long.  For instance, if you go in the wintertime, which would be the months of June to September, temperatures linger between 50 and 60 degrees.  Then in the summer, which starts in December and goes to March, you have temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees.  Therefore, regardless of when you visit, it is never miserably cold. 

As you take time to explore the country, you will be impressed with all there is to do and see.  However, one of the main attractions is Carnaval.  This special festival occurs on Monday and Tuesday following Ash Wednesday.  At this time, you will enjoy drums, costumed people moving about the streets, and lots of food.  Of course, another tradition known as La Semana Criolla is also fun to visit, which includes things like barbecue, horse-breaking, stunt riding by local cowboys, and again magnificent food.  This country offers so much, making it a wonderful choice when traveling to South America.