Minas, Uruguay
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Minas () is the capital of the
Lavalleja Department Lavalleja (; ) is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is Minas. It is located in the southeast of the country, bordered to the north by the department of Treinta y Tres to the east with Rocha, to the south with Canelones and Maldonado, and ...
in
Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of 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 the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
. As of the census of 2011, it is the twelfth-most populated city in the country.


Geography

The city is located in the south of the department, on the intersection of Route 8 with Route 12. It lies between hill ranges and the basins of the Arroyo San Francisco and Arroyo Campanero streams.


History

A town was founded here in 1783 as "Villa de la Concepción de las Minas" when a number of families from the
Asturias Asturias (; ; ) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensive with the provinces of Spain, province of Asturias and contains some of the territory t ...
and Galicia regions of
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
settled in the area following a frustrated attempt to populate
Patagonia Patagonia () is a geographical region that includes parts of Argentina and Chile at the southern end of South America. The region includes the southern section of the Andes mountain chain with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers ...
. The idea of a city in the area was first raised in 1753 by Jose Joaquin de Viana, the governor of
Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
, who wanted to create a population centre in "the zones of the mines". He commissioned Rafael Perez Del Puerto to design the layout of the city, the basis of which remains in place today. On October 8, 1830, it was declared a town, and on June 16, 1837, by decree Ley Nº 158, it became the capital of the "Department of Minas". On May 16, 1888, its status was elevated to that of city by decree Ley Nº 1.980. On December 26, 1927, after the renaming of the department, it became the capital of the "Department of Lavalleja" by decree Ley Nº 8.187.


Population

According to the 2011 census, the area of Minas had a population of 38,446.
The following areas are considered by some as part of the Minas urban area: * Blanes Viale: 104 * Barrio La Coronilla - Ancap: 301 * San Francisco de las Sierras: 58 As a result, the total population of the Minas area can be said to be 38,909. Source: ''Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay''


Features

;In the city In the northeastern part of town, where a zoological garden was located, the main public park of the city "Parque Rodó" was developed. Its facilities include restrooms, a garden, two playgrounds for children, a swimming pool, an area for picnic, a restaurant, a walking trail, parking lots, a small farm with a few animals (peacocks, swans, llamas), several sport pitches and a small stadium, in which two yearly festivals take place, one in April "Minas & Abril" and the other in October "Semana de Lavalleja".


''Cerro Artigas''

At the east end of the city is Cerro Artigas, a hill with a park containing a statue of the 19th-century Uruguayan hero General
José Artigas José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , ...
on horseback, a work of
Stelio Belloni Stelio Belloni (Montevideo, 23 August 1920 - 9 September 1989) was a Uruguayan sculptor. He was son of the notable Realist sculptor José Belloni. Selected works * Guillermo Cuadri (Santos Garrido). Minas (1956). * Woman with Pitcher. Piedra Al ...
. ;Surrounding area The Parque Salto del Penitente lies east of the city; to the west-southwest is Parque Salus and to the southeast is the Parque de Vacaciones UTE-ANTEL, a park for the vacation use of employees of the Uruguayan Electricity Company and the Uruguayan Telecommunications Company. Villa Serrana is a scenic village located in the hills about northeast of Minas.


Places of worship

* Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
) * St. Joseph Parish Church (Roman Catholic) * St. Thérèse of Lisieux Parish Church (Roman Catholic,
Redemptorist The Redemptorists, officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (), abbreviated CSsR, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brothers). It was founded by Alphonsus Liguori at Scal ...
s) * Our Lady of Fatima Parish Church (Roman Catholic) * Our Lady of Verdun National Sanctuary, a popular pilgrimage shrine on top of Verdún HillVerdun Sanctuary


Notable people

Minas is the birthplace of: *
Juan Antonio Lavalleja Juan Antonio Lavalleja y de la Torre (June 24, 1784 – October 22, 1853) was an Uruguayan Libertadores, libertador, revolutionary, military general, and political figure. He was born in Minas, Uruguay, Minas, in a region now named after him ...
, the revolutionary leader during Uruguayan independence, after whom the department is named. * Juan José Morosoli, Uruguayan writer. * Arturo Ardao, Uruguayan philosopher and historian. * Sebastián Abreu, Uruguayan professional soccer player. *
Gustavo Trelles Gustavo Trelles (born 15 November 1955 in Minas, Uruguay, Minas) is a Uruguayan former rallying, rally driver. He competed actively in the World Rally Championship from 1988 World Rally Championship season, 1988 to 1993 World Rally Championship ...
, Uruguayan racing driver * Carlos Paravís, folk musician


Twin towns

* Coro, Venezuela *
Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...
, France


References


External links


Intendencia de Lavelleja - Minas: capital departamentalINE map of Minas and Barrio La Coronilla
{{Authority control Populated places in the Lavalleja Department Populated places established in 1783