Salto () is the capital city of the
Salto Department
Salto Department () is a department of the northwestern region of Uruguay. It has an area of and a population of 124,878. Its capital is the city of Salto. It borders Artigas Department to its north, Paysandú Department to its south, the depar ...
in northwestern
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 ...
. As of the 2011 census it had a population of 104,028 and is the third most populated city in Uruguay, after
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 ...
and
Ciudad de la Costa
Ciudad de la Costa is a city in Canelones Department of Uruguay, on the banks of the Río de la Plata between the streams Arroyo Carrasco and Arroyo Pando. It is considered an extension of the metropolitan area of Montevideo which it borders to th ...
.
Location and geography
The city is located on
Route 3 about northwest 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 ...
, and on the east bank of the
Río Uruguay
The Uruguay River ( es, Río Uruguay, ; pt, Rio Uruguai, ) is a major river in South America. It flows from north to south and forms parts of the boundaries of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, separating some of the Argentine provinces of La M ...
across from the city of
Concordia in
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 ...
. About north of the city the
Salto Grande Bridge
The Salto Grande Bridge is a road and railroad bridge that crosses the Uruguay River and joins Argentina and Uruguay. It is built on top of the Salto Grande Dam. The bridge runs between Concordia, Entre Ríos Province, Argentina, and Salto, Salt ...
, built on top of the
Salto Grande Dam
The Salto Grande Dam is a large hydroelectric dam on the Uruguay River, located between Concordia, Argentina, and Salto, Uruguay; thus shared between the two countries.
The construction of the dam began in 1974 and was completed in 1979. Power ...
, joins the two sides.
Built on hills and bluffs, the city is situated near the Rio Uruguay's 'big jump' falls, which is also the location of the
Salto Grande Dam
The Salto Grande Dam is a large hydroelectric dam on the Uruguay River, located between Concordia, Argentina, and Salto, Uruguay; thus shared between the two countries.
The construction of the dam began in 1974 and was completed in 1979. Power ...
.
The land is low lying alongside the river bank, with an elevation of above sea level.
History
During the
Guarani War Guarani, Guaraní or Guarany may refer to
Ethnography
* Guaraní people, an indigenous people from South America's interior (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia)
* Guaraní language, or Paraguayan Guarani, an official language of Paraguay
* ...
the governor of Rio de la Plata,
José de Andonaegui
José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ).
In French, the name ''José'', pronounced ...
, and the Marquis of Valdelirios pleaded with Governor
José Joaquín de Viana
José Joaquín de Viana (1718–1773) was a Spanish military and political figure, Governor of Montevideo between 1751 and 1764 and 1771 and 1773.
Biography
Of Navarrese origin, Viana started his military career in 1735 and fought in Italy during ...
to move north with an army of 400 men and enforce the terms of the
Treaty of Madrid. In October 1756 Viana built several barracks for his army located in the area who had to survive on hunting and fishing. The sheds he built were called San Antonio del Salto Chico. Thus, the short-lived first settlement in the present city of Salto dates from 8 November 1756, which remains as its date of foundation. Some people say it was "by chance", such as the writer
Francisco Bauza in his book ''Dominación española en Uruguay''. In 1757, Viana and the superior Governor of Buenos Aires,
Pedro de Cevallos
Pedro Antonio de Cevallos Cortés y Calderón, also spelled Ceballos (29 June 1715 – 26 December 1778), was a Spanish military Governor of Buenos Aires between 1757 and 1766, and the first Viceroy of the Río de la Plata in 1776.
Biography ...
, built a strong fort called San Antonio. The fort had a chapel, which was under the patronage of San Antonio de Padua. Also in that period, Spanish troops captured the Portuguese colony at
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 ...
and used its facilities for seven years before abandoning it in 1763.
On 16 June 1768, the buildings in Salto were occupied by
Francisco de Paula Bucareli with 1,500 soldiers seeking to expel the Jesuits from all Spanish territory, as ordered by
Carlos III.
The fort of San Antonio served as an arms depot and later as a prison for most of the priests, who were later taken to Buenos Aires or deported overseas. While the Jesuits were imprisoned Lieutenant Nicolás García took care of the fort and three boats. A big flood of the
Yapeyú River caused considerable damage and the fort was rebuilt at a nearby site, this time on the western side of the
Uruguay River
The Uruguay River ( es, Río Uruguay, ; pt, Rio Uruguai, ) is a major river in South America. It flows from north to south and forms parts of the boundaries of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, separating some of the Argentine provinces of La M ...
in the current
Concordia area, in order to act as a river-road junction. In early 1782 the settlement already had permanent residents.
On 12 February 1811
Francisco Javier de Elío
Francisco Javier de Elío y Olóndriz (Pamplona, 1767 – Valencia, 1822), was a Spanish soldier, governor of Montevideo. He was also instrumental in the Absolutist repression after the restoration of Ferdinand VII as King of Spain. For th ...
declared war on the Board of Buenos Aires.
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 ...
was besieged by
José Rondeau
José Casimiro Rondeau Pereyra (March 4, 1773 – November 18, 1844) was a general and politician in Argentina and Uruguay in the early 19th century.
Life and Politics
He was born in Buenos Aires but soon after his birth, the family moved t ...
and
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 ...
, so Elío asked for help from Portugal. Later the Spanish and the Board of Buenos Aires had to sign an agreement, because Buenos Aires was blockaded by sea. In an armistice agreement it decided to lift the siege of Montevideo and the blockade of the Rio de la Plata. However, General Artigas had to withdraw to the north in what became known at the Exodus of the Western People.
Among the members of the Exodus of the Western People were a considerable number of important people in Uruguayan history, including some 6,000 military personnel and 4,500 civilians. In December 1811 they camped for one month on the Uruguay River very close to Salto. In that place the Board of Buenos Aires awarded the title of Lieutenant Governor, Chief Justice and Captain of the Department to Artigas who "guided the revolutionaries in a ten-year crusade to liberate the people from Imperial Spanish rule."
After the
Battle of Las Piedras
The Battle of Las Piedras was fought on May 18, 1811 as part of the Uruguayan struggle for independence.
Background and development of events
In 1810, the May Revolution had forced the Spanish to abandon Buenos Aires, but they held on to the B ...
on 18 May 1811, Artigas was named "Chief of the Orientales".
After 1820, Artigas was forced to live in exile in Paraguay but his movement had been very successful and led to the establishment of the First Republic of Uruguay on 25 August 1825.
Before the Independence of Uruguay Salto had acquired the category of "Pueblo" (village) and on 16 May 1835, by Decree, it was recognized as being a "Villa" (town). Then, on 16 June 1837, Salto was made capital of the department by the Act of Ley Nº 158.
[
In late October 1845 roughly 1,000 of ]Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patr ...
's Italian and Uruguayan troops advanced up the Uruguay River and took Gualeguaychú in Argentina before seizing Salto, remaining there several months as they plotted against Justo José de Urquiza
Justo José de Urquiza y García (; October 18, 1801 – April 11, 1870) was an Argentine general and politician who served as president of the Argentine Confederation from 1854 to 1860.
Life
Justo José de Urquiza y García was b ...
, Cesar Diaz and Servando Gomez. On 8 February 1846 Garibaldi defeated Gomez's army, killing several hundred at San Antonio Chico Creek outside Salto. Garibaldi lost about a hundred men in the battle. Montevideo accepted him as General on February 16 when news of his victory reached the city.
On 8 June 1863 Salto's status was elevated to "Ciudad" (city) by the Act of Ley Nº 780, which was reaffirmed on 3 March 1869 by the Act of Ley Nº 1.000.[
]
During the late 2010s, Salto city saw a spate in criminal activity similar to those of other border cities across Latin America like Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
Ciudad () is the Spanish word for City
Ciudad may also refer to:
*La Ciudad (archaeological site), Hohokam ruins in Phoenix, Arizona
*La Ciudad, district of Durango City, Mexico
*''La ciudad'', novel by Mario Levrero 1970
*La Ciudad ''The City'' ...
, with drug trafficking and femicides among the principal crimes committed. According to Nicolas SantAnna, the president of the local commerce and industry syndicate, Salto's Don Atilio has become Uruguay's most dangerous barrio.
Population
In 2011, Salto had a population of 104,028.
Source: ''Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay''
Climate
Salto has a humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
typical of the region, with sunny and hot summers with occasional heavy rainfall combined with mild winters.
Architecture
At the entrance of the city there is a memorial to the engineer Eladio Dieste
Eladio Dieste (December 1, 1917 – July 29, 2000) was a Uruguayan engineer who made his reputation by building a range of structures from grain silos, factory sheds, markets and churches, most of them in Uruguay and all of exceptional eleganc ...
. The memorial is formally called "La Puerta de la Sabiduría" ("The Door of Wisdom") and commonly known as "La Gaviota" ("The Seagull"). It was constructed by moving a structure built for station facilities and service by Leggiero Barbieri, a now-defunct trading firm. It is located at the intersection of Route 3 and Route 31 with Avenida Pascual Harriague, named after Pascual Harriague, who introduced grape cultivation in Uruguay. Salto is the site of a large number of works by Eladio Dieste, including an industrial warehouse/factory (Refrescos del Norte, 1978), an inn (north coast), a Municipal Bus Terminal, and a private bus company terminal (Turlit, 1980). Other prominent architects include J.P. Sanguinetti
JP may refer to:
Arts and media
* JP (album), ''JP'' (album), 2001, by American singer Jesse Powell
* Jp (magazine), ''Jp'' (magazine), an American Jeep magazine
* ''Jönköpings-Posten'', a Swedish newspaper
* Judas Priest, an English heavy met ...
with his masterpiece "El Campo y yo".
The center of the city lies on Calle Uruguay, the heart of the business district, and many of the historic buildings in the immediate vicinity are significant. An apartment building called "El Mirador
El Mirador (which translates as "the lookout", "the viewpoint", or "the belvedere") is a large pre-Columbian Middle and Late Preclassic (1000 BC - 250 AD) Mayan settlement, located in the north of the modern department of El Petén, Guatemal ...
", the highest building in the city, opened in 2007. A museum of note is the Museo del Hombre y la Tecnología
Museo del Hombre y la Tecnología (Museum of Man and Technology) is located in Salto Department, Uruguay. Its exhibitions are devoted to demonstrating how the evolution of technology has influenced the lives of the people of Uruguay and the rest ...
. There is a Plaza named after General Artigas in the central part of the city, containing a large statue of him. The largest park in the city is called the Parque Solari.
Places of worship
* Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist (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 ...
)
* Holy Cross Parish Church (Roman Catholic)
* Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish Church (Roman Catholic)
* Parish Church of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Roman Catholic)
Culture
Popular activities among young people include drinking mate
Mate may refer to:
Science
* Mate, one of a pair of animals involved in:
** Mate choice, intersexual selection
** Mating
* Multi-antimicrobial extrusion protein, or MATE, an efflux transporter family of proteins
Person or title
* Friendship ...
(an herbal beverage), going dancing at night and crossing into Argentina to go shopping in Concordia on weekends. One of the attractions are the thermal pools located close to the city. They are kept at over 38 °C (100 F) around the year. Salto is also known for its street ''Calle Uruguay'', where locals stroll during weekend nights to socialize and drink mate with friends. Despite its many slum areas, Salto is considered one of the higher class areas of Uruguay for its various amenities that most of the country is lacking. The International Cultural Centre was founded in Salto in August 1990. The main football club is Salto Fútbol Club which plays in the Uruguayan Segunda División
Segunda División Profesional is the second division of professional football in Uruguay, established in 1942. The league is sometimes referred to as ''Primera B''. Segunda División was first held in 1942 to replace amateur Divisional Intermed ...
. Their home ground is located at the Estadio Ernesto Dickinson, which has a capacity of about 6,500.
Sports
Salto was one of the host cities of the official 1967 Basketball World Cup.
Health
The public health system in city is heavily supported by the regional national hospital ''Hospital Regional de Salto,'' which has 258 conventional beds and 30 intensive care beds.
Risks
Because of its geography, near other regions with Aedes aegypti
''Aedes aegypti'', the yellow fever mosquito, is a mosquito that can spread dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika fever, Mayaro and yellow fever viruses, and other disease agents. The mosquito can be recognized by black and white markings on its legs ...
mosquitos, Salto is one of the more vulnerable cities to mosquito-borne diseases like dengue fever
Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms typically begin three to fourteen days after infection. These may include a high fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and joint pains, and a characterist ...
.
Transportation
Salto lies at the junction of the north–south National Route 3 and east–west National Route 31 on the eastern bank at the beginning of the Lower Uruguay River
The Uruguay River ( es, Río Uruguay, ; pt, Rio Uruguai, ) is a major river in South America. It flows from north to south and forms parts of the boundaries of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, separating some of the Argentine provinces of La M ...
, opposite the Argentine city of Concordia. The city is located by road south of Bella Union
Bella Union is a British independent record label founded in 1997 by Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins. It is now run solely by Raymonde.
History
After releasing records with 4AD for a large part of their career, Cocteau Twin ...
and by road north of Paysandu. It is located by road west of Tacuarembo.
Salto is connected to Montevideo by regular bus services and by the railroad track Montevideo – Salto – Artigas. The main railway station is the Salto railway station (Estacion Salto). Nueva Hesperides International Airport
Nueva Hespérides International Airport is an airport serving Salto, the capital of Salto Department in Uruguay. The airport is south of the city.
The airport was formerly served by Transporte Aéreo Militar Uruguayo and Aviasur, but curren ...
had scheduled connections with Montevideo until 2015, enabling easy access to the local thermal baths. There are plans to improve it and local business people are keen to see it expand, allowing freight (particularly fruit) to be shipped directly from the region.
It is served by the Nueva Hesperides International Airport
Nueva Hespérides International Airport is an airport serving Salto, the capital of Salto Department in Uruguay. The airport is south of the city.
The airport was formerly served by Transporte Aéreo Militar Uruguayo and Aviasur, but curren ...
.
Noted people
* Uruguayan author Horacio Quiroga
Horacio Silvestre Quiroga Forteza (31 December 1878 – 19 February 1937) was a Uruguayan playwright, poet, and short story writer.
He wrote stories which, in their jungle settings, used the supernatural and the bizarre to show the struggle of ...
was born in Salto in 1879.
* Enrique Amorim
Enrique Amorim (July 25, 1900 – July 28, 1960) was an Uruguayan novelist and writer, best known for his story ''Las quitanderas'' whose plot centers on rural prostitution; also known for his left-wing politics.
Biography
Enrique Amorim was b ...
was born in Salto in 1900.
* Pedro Rocha, intercontinental champion, Peñarol
Club Atlético Peñarol (; English: ''Peñarol Athletic Club'') —also known as ''Carboneros'', ''Aurinegros,'' and (familiarly) ''Manyas''— is a Uruguayan sports club from Montevideo. The name "Peñarol" comes from the Peñarol neigh ...
, was born in 1942.
* Professional footballers Luis Suárez
Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz (; born 24 January 1987) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Uruguayan Primera División club Nacional and the Uruguay national team. Nicknamed ''El Pistolero'' ('The Gunman'), he is ...
(Club Nacional de Football
Club Nacional de Football (, ''National Football Club'' or simply as Nacional) is a Uruguayan professional sports club based in Montevideo.
The club was founded on 14 May 1899 as a result of the merger between ''Uruguay Athletic Club'' and ''Mon ...
), Edinson Cavani
Edinson Roberto Cavani Gómez (; born 14 February 1987) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club Valencia and the Uruguay national team. Nicknamed ''El Matador'' ('The Bullfighter'), being known for his i ...
(Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
) and Bruno Fornaroli
Bruno Fornaroli Mezza (; born 7 September 1987) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward or attacking midfielder for Melbourne Victory. Born in Uruguay, he plays for the Australian national team.
Club career
Fornaroli was born in ...
(Perth Glory
Perth Glory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Perth, Western Australia. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues.
Founded in 19 ...
) were born in Salto in 1987. The former two were members of the 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 ...
squad that achieved a fourth-place finish at the 2010 FIFA World Cup
, image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg
, size = 200px
, caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
, while the latter achieved the Golden Boot in 2015–16 A-League season.
*Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) is the governing body of the men's professional tennis circuits – the ATP Tour, the ATP Challenger Tour and the ATP Champions Tour. It was formed in September 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, an ...
Uruguayan No.1 Pablo Cuevas
Pablo Gabriel Cuevas Urroz (; born January 1, 1986) is an inactive Uruguayan professional tennis player. Cuevas won the 2008 French Open men's doubles title with Luis Horna.
He has won six singles titles and has a career-high singles ranking of ...
resides in Salto, though he was born in 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 ...
.
See also
* List of diplomatic missions in Uruguay#Consulate in Salto
References
External links
*
Termas de Salto Grande ( north of the city), Viajando Por Uruguay
INE map of Salto
*
{{Authority control
Cities in Uruguay
Populated places in the Salto Department
Port cities and towns in Uruguay
Uruguay River
Argentina–Uruguay border crossings
Populated places established in 1756
1750s establishments in Uruguay
1756 establishments in the Viceroyalty of Peru