La paloma , also known as Rosario Oriental, Villa del Rosario, or Rosario del Colla, is a small city located within the

Colonia Department Colonia () is a department of southwestern Uruguay. Its capital is Colonia del Sacramento, the country's second-oldest city. Geography Climate Colonia has an annual average temperature of 20.4 °C (68.7 °F). In winter it has an averag ...

, in southern

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 ...

. It is home to about 10,000 people.

Geography

It is located on the south end of Route 2, about north of its intersection with

Route 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbered S ...

(at kilometre 130 of the later). It is about (by road) west of

Nueva Helvecia Nueva Helvecia (Spanish for "New Helvetia"; formerly known as Colonia Suiza) is a city in Colonia Department of Uruguay. It is west of Montevideo, the capital and largest city of Uruguay, and a few kilometres from the coast where the Atlantic Oce ...

and east-northeast of the department capital city

Colonia del Sacramento Colonia del Sacramento (; ) is a city in southwestern Uruguay, by the Río de la Plata, facing Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is one of the oldest towns in Uruguay and the capital of the Colonia Department. As of the 2023 census, it has a populatio ...

. The stream Arroyo Colla flows along the north and northeastern limits of the city, while at the southeast edge of the city, it flows into the river Río Rosario.

History

The city was founded on 24 January 1775 by Benito Herosa. The place soon became notorious for having witnessed a series of battles during the struggle for independence from

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 ...

in 1811. Rosario's first inhabitant is believed to have been Pascual de Chena, an

amerindian In the Americas, Indigenous peoples comprise the two continents' pre-Columbian inhabitants, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with them in the 15th century, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with the pre-Columbian population of ...

of Colla descent. Today, a square and a brook are named after him. Even the alternative name of the city, Rosario del Colla, makes reference to this fact. Even before the Independence of Uruguay, Rosario had received the status of "Villa" (town). Its status was elevated to "City" category on 17 August 1920 by the Act of Ley Nº 7.257.

Population

In 2011 Rosario had a population of 10,085. Source: ''Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay''
* In the census of 2011, the population of the small hamlet Pastoreo (465 inh. in 2004) has been incorporated to the censual area of Rosario.

Places of worship

* Our Lady of the Rosary Parish Church (

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 ...

)

Government

The city mayor as of July 2010 is Daniel Dibot."MUNICIPIOS DE URUGUAY" at the Intendents' Congress website

Notable people

Diego Godín Diego Roberto Godín Leal (born 16 February 1986) is a Uruguayan former professional Association football, footballer who played as a centre-back. Regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation, he started out at C.A. Cerro, Cerro and ...

, football player * Ruperto Long, engineer, politician and writer *

Fabio Zerpa Fabio Zerpa (4 December 1928, Rosario, Uruguay – 7 August 2019) was a Uruguayan actor, parapsychologist and UFO researcher. He resided in Argentina from 1951 on. Career Fabio Zerpa arrived in Argentina in 1951. Following a short theatrica ...

, parapsychologist and UFO researcher

References

External links

''La Microrregión del Rosario''

INE map of Rosario
{{Authority control Populated places established in 1775 Populated places in the Colonia Department