Carmelo is a city located in the department of Colonia of western

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 ...

, noted for its wineries.

Location

Route 21 passes through the city, joining it with

Nueva Palmira Nueva Palmira is a city in Colonia Department in south-western Uruguay. Location It is located on the east bank of Uruguay River, about northwest of the departmental capital Colonia del Sacramento. History A "Pueblo" (village) named "Higuerita ...

to the northwest and

Colonia del Sacramento , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = Basilica del Sanctísimo Sacramento.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = Basílica del Santísimo Sacramento , pushpin_map = Uruguay , subdivisio ...

to the southeast.

History

During the beginning of the Conquest of the 16th century, the Spanish founded the Fuerte de San Lázaro (April 7, 1527 - October 1530). In 1611,

Hernando Arias de Saavedra Hernando Arias de Saavedra (September 10, 1561 – 1634), commonly known as Hernandarias, was a soldier and politician of criollo ancestry. He was the first person born in the Americas to become a governor of a European colony in the New World, ...

, governor of Asuncion, landed cattle near the mouth of the Arroyo de las Vacas. A populated centre was established here which had reached the status of "Pueblo" (village) before the Independence of Uruguay. The present city was founded by

José Gervasio Artigas José Gervasio Artigas Arnal (; June 19, 1764 – September 23, 1850) was a political leader, military general, statesman and national hero of Uruguay and the broader Río de la Plata region. He fought in the Latin American wars of ind ...

on 12 February 1816. Its status was elevated to "Ciudad" (city) on 17 August 1920 by the Act of Ley Nº 7.257. It is the only city founded personally by the Uruguayan national hero, and it still holds this office proudly.

Population

In 2011 Carmelo had a population of 18,041. Source: ''Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay''

Landmarks

There are two squares in the city. The one is Plaza Artigas, with a monument to the foundation of the city, the church Templo Histórico del Carmen and the city museum and archive. The other, more central square is the commercial centre of the city. The main commercial street is 19 de Avril, which at its south ends at the bridge, after which it becomes Route 21 which joins it with

and also forks towards other destinations. Hotel Casino de Carmelo

The river Arroyo de las Vacas runs along the east and south part of the city. This river serves as a port for the town. On its north bank there is the Puerto Carmelo-Tigre, where small catamaran boats carry passengers across the

Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (, "river of silver"), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and fo ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. A swing bridge, the Puente Giratorio de Carmelo, which opened on 1 May 1912, passes over the Arroyo de las Vacas. The bridge joins the north part of the city with its small southern part, where another port along the southern banks of the river accommodates private boats and the Yacht Club Carmelo. In the same part, along the coast there is beach Playa Seré, a park, a small zoological garden and a Casino Hotel.

Places of worship

* Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish Church (

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

) * Our Lady of Pompei Church (Roman Catholic)

Symbols of Carmelo

The area around the city

Between

and Carmelo there is a stretch along the Río Uruguay of great tourist importance. Points of interest in this area are Punta Gorda,

Zagarzazú Zagarzazú or Balneario Zagarzazú is a resort village in the Colonia Department of southwestern Uruguay. Geography Zagarzazú is located on the coast of Río Uruguay, north of the city of Carmelo and just south of Route 21. To the west of the ...

and Colonia Estrella. In Zagarzazú there is a small airport and a luxury hotel, the Four Seasons Carmelo Hotel, with an important golf course. Just northwest of Carmelo is

Juncal Island Juncal Island is an island belonging to Uruguay, located where the Uruguay River empties into the Río de la Plata, a bit above the Uruguayan town of Carmelo. It is separated from Uruguay by the ''Canal de Camacho''. The much smaller Juncalito Is ...

which once held a notorious prison. The city is a few kilometers from the town of

Las Víboras Las Víboras is a Uruguayan town in the Colonia Department which was one of the first towns in the Uruguayan countryside. A substantial portion of its population later became the base of the city of Carmelo. History In February 1527 under the comma ...

Notable people

Juan Francisco Aragone Juan Francisco Aragone (born 24 May 1883 in Carmelo – deceased 7 May 1953 in Montevideo) was a Uruguayan cleric. After over a decade vacancy, on 3 July 1919 Aragone was appointed as the second Roman Catholic archbishop of Montevideo. In his ...

Archbishop of Montevideo The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montevideo ( la, Archidioecesis Montisvidei) is an archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic church in Uruguay. History Erected as the Apostolic Vicariate of Montevideo by Pope Gregory XVI on 14 Augus ...

Gonzalo Pérez Iribarren Gonzalo Pérez Iribarren (1936–1998) was an 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 ...

, mathematician *

Juan Carlos Mareco Juan Carlos Mareco (January 20, 1926October 8, 2009) was a Uruguayan actor and radio and television talk show host. He achieved fame in Spain, Chile and Argentina from the 1960s onwards in comedy roles and as a television host in a variety of genr ...

, actor *

Atilio François Atilio François (22 May 1922 – 27 September 1997) was a Uruguayan cyclist. He competed at the 1948 and 1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known a ...

, former cyclist * José Reinoso, musician * Javier Gil, painter, sculptor * Lucy Cordano, mother of president

José Mujica José Alberto "Pepe" Mujica Cordano (; born 20 May 1935) is a Uruguayan politician, former revolutionary and farmer who served as the 40th president of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015. A former guerrilla with the Tupamaros, he was tortured and impr ...

References

External links

Guía de Colonia

INE map of Carmelo

Carmelo Jazz Tour
{{Authority control Port cities and towns in Uruguay Populated places in the Colonia Department Populated places established in 1816 1816 establishments in Uruguay