Postage stamps and postal history of Uruguay
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

This is a survey of the
postage stamps A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the fa ...
and
postal history Postal history is the study of postal systems and how they operate and, or, the study of the use of postage stamps and covers and associated postal artifacts illustrating historical episodes in the development of postal systems. The term is att ...
of
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 ...
. Uruguay is in the southeastern part of
South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
and has a population of over 3 million people, almost half of whom live in the capital
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 its metropolitan area. Uruguay's only land border is with
Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative_units_of_Brazil#List, fifth-most-populous state and the List of Brazilian st ...
,
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, to the north. To the west lies 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 ...
, to the southwest lies the
estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...
of
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 ...
, with
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 ...
across the banks of either of those bodies of water, while to the southeast lies the
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
. Uruguay, at ,"Uruguay". ''
Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various time ...
''. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 9 March 2012.
is the second-smallest nation of South America in terms of area after
Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...
.


Pre-stamp postal markings


Spanish crown period

In 1724 the Spanish Crown decided to establish a settlement on the east coast of Río de la Plata, with a view to countering the dominance of Portugal, which had contravened the
Treaty of Tordesillas The Treaty of Tordesillas, ; pt, Tratado de Tordesilhas . signed in Tordesillas, Spain on 7 June 1494, and authenticated in Setúbal, Portugal, divided the newly discovered lands outside Europe between the Portuguese Empire and the Spanish Emp ...
to found the Colonia de Sacramento opposite
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
. The building of the city, called San Felipe y Santiago de Montevideo, was completed towards the end of 1726. At this time, both
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 Buenos Aires were virtually isolated from the other Spanish colonies in America. As early as 1748, the Governor of Buenos Aires organised scheduled transport services between that city and the villages within Peru and Chile. The first mail service, called El Príncipe, reached the port of Montevideo in May 1767. The regulations stated that the mailbags were to be delivered to the port of Montevideo, where the correspondence for Buenos Aires was transferred to launches. In 1785 a weekly overland service was introduced between Buenos Aires and Montevideo. The correspondence was carried in three launches called ''chasqueras'' (boats) as far as
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 ...
, where it was transferred to Montevideo by military couriers. In February 1797 a weekly mail service was set up between Montevideo and Buenos Aires, with dedicated personnel who replaced the military couriers, and up to eight staging posts used. This service remained in operation until 1810, the year when the struggle for independence led by
José Gervasio Artigas José Gervasio Artigas Arnal (; June 19, 1764 â€“ 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 ...
forced its suspension. To relay the correspondence to the east of the territory, travelling along the road between Montevideo and the Fort of Santa Teresa, eleven staging posts were set up in 1798, and in 1799 the postal service was introduced which linked Montevideo,
Minas Minas or MINAS may refer to: People with the given name Minas * Menas of Ethiopia (died 1563) * Saint Menas (Minas, 285–309) * Minias of Florence (Minas, Miniato, died 250) * Minas Alozidis (born 1984), Greek hurdler * Minas Avetisyan (1928†...
and Cerro Largo. Following the
First Treaty of San Ildefonso The First Treaty of San Ildefonso was signed on 1 October 1777 between Spain and Portugal. It settled long-running territorial disputes between the two kingdoms' possessions in South America, primarily in the Río de la Plata region. Background ...
, signed in 1777, Spain governed the southern part of Uruguay, while the north remained in Portuguese hands. This situation was briefly interrupted in 1807, following the invasion of Montevideo by the British armed forces.


Independence

In 1811 Uruguay declared its independence, but the Spanish Crown did not withdraw from the territory until 1815, after the collapse of the Siege of Montevideo and the triumph of the Artiguista Revolution. However, in the following year the country was invaded by Portuguese troops, who governed from 1816 to 1824. Between 1824 and 1827, the Uruguayan territory was dominated by Brazil. In 1825, the struggle for the final independence of the country began, with the so-called Freedom Crusade ( Cruzada Libertadora), led by
Juan Antonio Lavalleja Juan Antonio Lavalleja (June 24, 1784 – October 22, 1853) was a Uruguayan revolutionary and political figure. He was born in Minas, nowadays being located in the Lavalleja Department, which was named after him. Pre-Independence role He le ...
. On 25 August of that year, the independence of the country was declared, which took effect in 1830, with the Pledge of the Constitution and the nomination of
Fructuoso Rivera José Fructuoso Rivera y Toscana (17 October 1784 – 13 January 1854) was a Uruguayan general and patriot who fought for the liberation of Banda Oriental from Brazilian rule, twice served as Uruguay's President and was one of the instigators ...
as the first Constitutional President. Throughout this period, there were virtually no developments in the postal service, which began to be reorganised in 1827, when General Lavalleja appointed
Luis de la Robla Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...
to act as Postal Director. On 11 January 1828, the first Provisional Regulations for the Postal Service were approved, and in July of that year De la Robla submitted the first General Mail Schedule to the government for approval.


Civil war

In 1839 the period of civil war called the Guerra Grande began. This continued until 1851, and throughout this time the entire country was dominated by revolutionaries, with only the city of Montevideo remaining in government hands. This situation had a very serious impact on the postal service within the country, while the service between Montevideo and abroad continued to operate regularly. During this period, the activities of the Montevideo Chamber of Commerce began to take on great importance. This institution was founded in 1835 by Jorge Tornquist, and operated as a sorting office for last minute mail, receiving commercial correspondence after the official mailbags had been sealed.


Government of Montevideo

The precarious economic situation of the Government of Montevideo led to the transfer of several sources of revenue, including those of the postal service. Early in 1846 the Board of Directors of the Purchasing Company took possession of the Postal Administration, which it retained until 1852, when it was returned to State ownership. One of the first measures adopted by the new administration was the organisation of a postal transport service to and from the interior of the country. For this purpose, Atanasio Lapido was nominated as Postal Contractor, with the task of installing staging posts throughout the country. These began to come into operation in May 1853. In April 1856 the General Postal Director, Miguel Solsona, left office, and Mr. Lapido also took over the post of Postal Director, on an unpaid basis.


Currency

Before independence the currency and monetary system of the colonising country was adopted. A law approved on 23 June 1862 shaped the final monetary system. The decimal system was adopted, taking as base unit the "Silver peso", consisting of 100 centésimos. All other monetary denominations prior to the approval of this law were abandoned.


Postage stamps


Private issues

The postal services organised by the
stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...
companies, led by Mr. Lapido, issued on 1 October 1856 the so-called ''Diligencia'' (stagecoach stamp). This issue was intended for correspondence carried by stagecoach, solely for the domestic service. Micheloni, L.A. "THE DILIGENCIAS OF URUGUAY". ''Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News'', January 28, 1911 Volume XXV Number 4 Whole Issue Number 1048. There were three values. Satisfied with the results achieved with the Diligencia stamps, Mr. Lapido had a new series printed in 1858 for the franking of correspondence with the Republic of Argentina. This set also had 3 values and came to be known as ''Soles de Montevideo'' (Montevideo Suns) or ''Soles Doble Cifra'' (double cipher suns), as the value of each stamp was printed twice at the bottom of the stamp.


Government issues

At the end of 1857, Mr. Lapido resigned from the post of Director and was replaced by Prudencio Echevarriarza. He continued the reforms and presented a proposal to the government for the application of postal stamps for correspondence between every point in the country. This was approved and laid down in the Uruguay Mail decree of 11 June 1859. In article 1 it states: ''All correspondence will be franked by postal stamps, without which no letters will be delivered by the General Postal Administration or any of its branch offices, the only locations where exchanges of mail may take place.''Antúnez, Marcos Silvera. ''El Correo en el Uruguay''. Uruguay: Ediciones El Galeon, 2000. (9974-553-23-7)


Definitives

The first regular series of stamps with government approval was issued on 1 July 1859, resembling the second private 'Sol de Montevideo' issue. Rossiter, Stuart & Flower, John. ''The Stamp Atlas''. London: Macdonald, 1986, p.172. Since 1859, many Uruguayan
definitive stamp A definitive stamp is a postage stamp that is part of the regular issue of a country's stamps, available for sale by the post office for an extended period of time and designed to serve the everyday postal needs of the country. The term is used in ...
series have been released. Besides different designs, there were additions and changes involving the postal rates, changes in currency were also reflected on the stamps: the silver peso system in 1862. File:Uruguay 1859 Sc11.jpg, 180c green, 1859 issue, unused File:1859 60c lilac stamp Uruguay.jpg, 60c brown lilac, 1860 issue, unused File:Uruguay 23.JPG, 12 centesimos blue, 1864 issue, used by
fancy cancel A fancy cancel is a postal cancellation that includes an artistic design. Although the term may be used of modern machine cancellations that include artwork, it primarily refers to the designs carved in cork and used in 19th century post office ...
from Montevideo File:Uruguay 1881 Sc45.jpg, 7 centesimos blue, 1881 issue, unused. Depicts
Joaquín Suárez Joaquín Luis Miguel Suárez de Rondelo (August 18, 1781 in Canelones – December 26, 1868 in Montevideo) was a Uruguayan political figure. Head of State of Uruguay In December 1828, Suárez served as the first head of state of the territ ...
File:Uruguay 1894 Sc106.jpg, 2p carmine, 1894, unused


Commemoratives

Uruguayan postage stamps have been released to commemorate a wide variety of topics, such as Uruguayan notable events (e.g. the end of the civil war in 1897) and anniversaries, aspects of life and culture, famous Uruguayan people (statesmen, religious, literary and cultural figures, athletes, etc.),
fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. Zoo ...
and
flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. E ...
, works of art, and
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
. International events have also been commemorated. The unveiling of a monument in
Bella Vista, Montevideo Bella Vista is a '' barrio'' (neighbourhood or district) of Montevideo, Uruguay and part of the Capurro / Bella Vista composite barrio, with Artigas Boulevard separating the two. Location Bella Vista shares borders with Capurro to the north wes ...
to former President
Joaquín Suárez Joaquín Luis Miguel Suárez de Rondelo (August 18, 1781 in Canelones – December 26, 1868 in Montevideo) was a Uruguayan political figure. Head of State of Uruguay In December 1828, Suárez served as the first head of state of the territ ...
(in office 1843–52) was the occasion of the first commemorative set of three stamps, issued on 18 July 1896. They were engraved by
Waterlow and Sons Waterlow and Sons Limited was a major worldwide engraver of currency, postage stamps, stocks and bond certificates based in London, Watford and Dunstable in England. The company was founded as a family business in 1810. It was acquired in 1961 b ...
in London. Up to 2007 more than 2,200 different definitive and commemorative stamps have been issued in Uruguay.


Overprints

Changes in postal rates were published on 6 September 1865, this called for new stamps. Before 1866 stamps were solely supplied from Montevideo but in 1865 the Uruguay postal authorities ordered a new set of stamps abroad, in London at Maclure, Macdonald and Co. The set did not arrive in time and the 1864 issue had to be
overprinted An overprint is an additional layer of text or graphics added to the face of a postage or revenue stamp, postal stationery, banknote or ticket after it has been printed. Post offices most often use overprints for internal administrative purpos ...
with the new denominations as emergency measure. The first overprinted,
provisional stamp Linn's World Stamp Almanac defines a provisional stamp as "a postage stamp issued for temporary use to meet postal demands until new or regular stocks of stamps can be obtained." The issuance of provisional stamps might be occasioned by a change ...
set of Uruguay was a fact. Surcharging of remainder stocks of stamps for usage as regular stamps would be applied more often due to supply problems and printing errors but also for commemorative purposes. The 19th century has 10 overprint issues, and the next century twice as much. File:1883 stamp of Uruguay.jpg, 1883, 5c of 1877 overprinted ''1883 Provisorio'' File:Uruguay 1884 1c provisorio.jpg, 1c orange red, 1884, overprinted ''Provisorio – 1 centesimo – 1884.'' File:Uruguay 1891 Sc99a.jpg, 5c violet 1891 strip of three, middle stamp with ''Provisorio 1391'' instead of ''Provisorio 1891'' overprint File:Uruguay 1892 Sc100.jpg, 1c black surcharge on 20c orange issue of 1889-1901, unused Regular stamps were also overprinted to indicate a special purpose; intended for
airmail Airmail (or air mail) is a mail transport service branded and sold on the basis of at least one leg of its journey being by air. Airmail items typically arrive more quickly than surface mail, and usually cost more to send. Airmail may be the ...
,
official mail Official mail is mail sent from, or by, an authorized department of government, governmental agency or international organizationHorning (1970), pp. 97–98 and normally has some indication that it is official; a certifying cachet, return address ...
, special delivery,
postage due Postage due is the term used for mail sent with insufficient postage. A postage due stamp is a stamp added to an underpaid piece of mail to indicate the extra postage due. Background While the problem of what to do about letters not paying the ...
or
newspapers A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports ...
.


Foreign consulate mail

There are very few covers addressed to transatlantic destinations before 1872 using Uruguayan stamps. This was the result of illicit actions by the foreign consulates in Montevideo, who received and despatched mail using ships flying the flags of their own states, with no involvement of any kind by the Uruguayan Mail Service. The
British consulate This is a list of diplomatic missions of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, excluding honorary consulates. The UK has one of the largest global networks of diplomatic missions. UK diplomatic missions to capitals of other ...
in
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 ...
used British stamps between 1862 and 1872 which may be identified by the cancel 'C28'. Overseas correspondence was franked with Uruguayan stamps from the end of 1872 onwards, following the so-called Montevideo Postal Incident in which the government prohibited all non-Uruguay mail inside Uruguay.


Pillar boxes

In 1879 Uruguay imported a batch of nine
cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...
pillar box A pillar box is a type of free-standing post box. They are found in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories, and, less commonly, in many members of the Commonwealth of Nations such as Cyprus, India, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Malta, New Ze ...
es made by Cochrane & Co of
Dudley Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the ...
, England. These followed a hexagonal design created by the English architect John Penfold for the
General Post Office The General Post Office (GPO) was the state postal system and telecommunications carrier of the United Kingdom until 1969. Before the Acts of Union 1707, it was the postal system of the Kingdom of England, established by Charles II in 1660. ...
, but cast with Spanish lettering and the Uruguayan coat of arms in place of the English lettering and royal insignia of the original. Some survive and some are still in service. In 1993 the
Correo Uruguayo Correo Uruguayo (officially Administración Nacional de Correos) is the national postal service in Uruguay. See also *Postage stamps and postal history of Uruguay *Universal Postal Union * Postal Union of the Americas, Spain and Portugal E ...
commemorated its Penfold post boxes with a set of stamps of 50c, $1 and $2.60.


See also

* Currency of Uruguay *
List of people on stamps of Uruguay A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby uni ...
*


References


Further reading

*Griebert, Hugo. ''A Study of the Stamps of Uruguay''. London: Stanley Gibbons, Ltd., 1910. *Hoffmann, Robert. ''Catalogo de las variedades mas importantes''. 1948. *Hoffmann, Robert. ''Estudio de las Falsificaciones de los Sellos Postales del Uruguay''. Montevideo: Club Filatelico del Uruguay de Montevideo, 1948. *Kalckhoff F, Stenger E. ''Festschrift zur feier des 25 Jahrigen Bestehens des Berliner Philatelisten-Klub ''. Berlin: 1913. (Contains article on early issues of Uruguay). *Kobylanski, J.K., ed. ''Catalogo de estampillas del Uruguay''. Uruguay: Mundus, 1985. *Kobylanski J.K. and Casal Gari E. ''Documentos historico postales del correo en la Republica Oriental del Uruguay.'' Uruguay: Mundas, 1984. * Dr. Kurchan, Mario D. ''Historia Postal Marítima del Río de la Plata: Uruguay''. 1996. Awarded the Alvaro Bonilla Lara Medal in 1996 by the FIAF. * Lee, E.J. ''Uruguay, The Grand Prix Collection Formed by Mr. E. J. Lee''. London: Plumridge & Co., 1936. *Lee, E.J. ''The Postage Stamps of uruguay''. London: Stanley Gibbons Limited, 1931. *Maassen, Wolfgang. ''150 Jahre "Sonnen-Marken" aus Uruguay''. Philatelie 354, December 2006, pp. 45–51. *Narath, Albert. ''Die Nummern-Zierstempel der Departamentos von Uruguay''. Berlin, 1961 *Ross, Joe. ''The Revenue Stamps of Uruguay, Patente de Rodados de Departamento de Montevideo''. 2005. *Rowe, Dennis Trevor. Catchpole, Paul. ''The Railways of South America''. Arrow: P. Catchpole Ltd, 2000. *Sigismond, Jean. ''Les Timbres de L'Uruguay''. Paris: Editions Charles Mendel, 1908. *Wonner, Esteban. ''Les Timbres de la République de l’Uruguay (Poste adhésifs, Enveloppes, Cartes, Bandes, Fiscaux et Administratifs, etc.)''. Neuilly: Imprimerie typographique de L. Bouzin, 1887.


External links


Smithsonian National Postal Museum, Mr. John M. Taylor Specialized Collection of Uruguay – Finding Guide

Official site of Correo Uruguayo – Filately
{{Authority control Postal system of Uruguay
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 ...