During February, I took a break in Uruguay, to see their famed carnaval and to sample the pleasures of coast and countryside. Nothing had prepared me for the delights of the old town centre in the capital Montevideo though. To say I could have been in Paris or Brussels, or perhaps in Palma, is not intended as a back-handed compliment – Uruguayans themselves are proud of the more European style of their culture compared with other parts of South America. The elegance of Montevideo architecture astonished me.
Ex-headquarters of Uruguayan Navy, now ferry terminal, Puerto de Montevideo
The centre of Montevideo is small enough to explore on foot. A busy and prosperous port – ferry terminal, cargo operations, one of the few railway lines – it handles a constant stream of visitors from Buenos Aires, a few hours across the Rio de la Plata by ferry, and tourists from neighbouring Brazil. They stroll past as you sit on the terrace of your favoured restaurant with a glass of medio y medio, an easy-drinking mix of espumante and dry white wine.
British cast-iron water spout …
In the usual way, the central wholesale food market has been transformed into a popular retail emporium. The Uruguayan version has a surprising number of barbecues or parrilladas – I stopped counting after 20 – offering every kind of meat cooked to order. During the working week at lunch time, they are extremely busy, serving between a dozen and 40 or 50 customers at a time, at counters and tables. Not a country for convinced vegetarians, Uruguay.
… and British market hall, Mercado del Puerto
A pleasant surprise awaits you a block or two away, up the hill from the quayside. The historic core of the centre is crammed with turn-of-the-century town houses, street after street of them.
Gracious stucco and cast iron ornament …
… from Belle Epoque to Art Deco
Some are inhabited and in good order
Others await investment
Beautiful moulding, though balustrade needs attention
Art Nouveau gem …
… and occasional, more utilitarian, Art Deco
Entrance to a naval officers’ club …
… beautifully tiled
Majolica colours, naval motifs
Some frontages need rescue
Others demand more drastic measures
Heritage renovation
Further up the slope of Montevideo Hill, the Plaza Zabala has some of the grandest buildings, around an equestrian monument to the city’s founder, Bruno Mauricio de Zabala. Formerly residential, these palatial buildings are now commercial or cultural.
La Casa Matriz, now Discount Bank
Palacio Taranco, now Museo de Artes Decorativas
The museum’s director told us proudly that the 1910 building’s design was completely French – the Arc de Triomphe in Paris is also the work of its architects Girault and Léon.
Palacio Taranco interior
Other, less grand buildings have been re-purposed too. Away from the centre, a prison has become an art gallery, with temporary and permanent exhibitions – a cool Donald Judd caught my eye.
Predio Carcelario de Miguelete, now Espacio de Arte Contemporáneo
Prison cells from 1889 exhibiting artworks now
And in a more comfortable part of town, a prison administration block (see below the clock) has become a shopping centre.
Administracion welcomes shoppers
The country’s institutions – parliament and central bank – still occupy imposing buildings in the centre. Guardians of Uruguay’s political and economic health, both are regarded with fierce loyalty by their citizens.
Asamblea General in wedding-cake style, complete with carriage drive
Banco Central de la República Oriental del Uruguay
That other great institution, the Roman Catholic church, is also in evidence, both in Montevideo and in the country.
Montevideo church
San Carlos church
A nation’s history can be read from its gravestones. At San Carlos, there was the pauper’s grave of a slave of a military officer, and of one who had fought in the ‘war with the English’ (1806-1807? 1845-1849?).
Graves of Maria, “morena esclava del Colonel Leonardo Olivera”, and of a commander in the war “contra los Ingleses”
Indeed, driving through the countryside brought to mind British landscapes, complete with flocks of sheep and dry-stone walling.
Could this be Wales?
Grand monuments may honour Uruguayan politicians, but it was refreshing to see the role of ordinary farmers and drovers being acknowledged too.
Supporting the Zabala monument
Wool and beef are still major exports
The gap between rich and poor is less marked than elsewhere, and the physical evidence of prosperity is clear. It seems that a prosperous life has been and is still possible for the vast majority of Uruguayans – it’s known as the Switzerland of South America.
Entrance to a country villa, now museum
And prosperity is not confined to the capital in this agricultural economy.
San Carlos town house
Cast iron door grille
The Uruguayan way of life appeals. Which is why I’m going again. Stay tuned to see more of this … and a happy and prosperous 2013 to all!
Town house courtyard with working well, and yerba maté kit in foreground
Aeropuerto Internacional de Carrasco, airside – architect Uruguayan-born Rafael Viñoly
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