Capurro is a ''

barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city, usually delimited by functional (e.g. residenti ...

'' (neighbourhood or district) of

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

, and part of the Capurro–Bella Vista composite barrio, with

Artigas Boulevard Artigas Boulevard is an avenue in Montevideo named after Uruguayan hero José Artigas. The avenue was commissioned by Garetado Fredito, the Minister of Transport and Public Works, in 1891. It starts from the Rambla of Montevideo (coastal avenue) ...

separating the two.

Location

Capurro shares borders with

La Teja La Teja is a ''barrio'' (neighbourhood or district) of Montevideo, Uruguay. The neighborhood has a mix of residential and industrial properties, mostly occupied by working class communities, including with a number of informal settlements built o ...

to the north west,

Prado The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own collection. It migh ...

to the north east, Bella Vista to the south east and it borders the

Bay of Montevideo The Bay of Montevideo ( es, Bahía de Montevideo) is the bay around the city of Montevideo, Uruguay in the Rio de la Plata. It was previously named by Pedro de Mendoza as "Bahía de la Candelaria". Description The bay has a round shape – app ...

to the south west.

History

The early history of the area was marked by the trade of slaves from Africa. Slave trading ships had first arrived in Montevideo in 1743. The Spanish company '' Real Compañía de Filipinas'', after its first such import in 1787, was forced by the government to build quaranteen barracks for the slaves, for the protection from epidemic diseases. These barracks, that came to be known as "Caserío de los Negros", were built in the coast of Capurro. After the declaration of Independence, they were demolished. The name and foundation of Capurro are related to the Genoan mariner Giovanni Battista Capurro.Page dedicated to G.B.Capurro and his family
/ref> He arrived in the country at the time of the first Constitution and acquired coastal land in this area around 1830. His home, which was surrounded by wonderful gardens, took on the name "Mecca". The area he acquired was rich in springs and wells of fresh water and had a lot of sand. Capurro started selling fresh water to ships returning to Europe, as well as sand for

ballast Ballast is material that is used to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within a boat, ship, ...

, causing the sand of the beach to dwindle away. In 1869, the "Compañía de Tranvías al Paso del Molino y Cerro" established a line of

horsecar A horsecar, horse-drawn tram, horse-drawn streetcar (U.S.), or horse-drawn railway (historical), is an animal-powered (usually horse) tram or streetcar. Summary The horse-drawn tram (horsecar) was an early form of public rail transport, wh ...

s which connected Montevideo with the

Villa del Cerro Villa del Cerro is a ''barrio'' (neighbourhood or district) of Montevideo, Uruguay. Location This barrio shares borders with Casabó to the west, La Paloma to the north, the Pantanoso Creek to the northeast, the Bay of Montevideo to the east and t ...

. This line brought many visitors to the area around the beach, which was called Playa Honda, transforming it into a relaxation and recreation area. The sons of Capurro started planning to build a big hotel, but the economic crisis of the 1890s stopped their plans. Instead, in 1910, a park was founded in its place, called Parque Capurro. It was designed by the Italian architect Giovanni Veltroni.

References

External links

Intendencia de Montevideo / Historia del Capurro

{{Barrios of Montevideo Barrios of Montevideo

Location

History

See also

References

External links