San José de Mayo (; ''Mayo'' ) is the capital city of the
San José Department
San José Department () is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is San José de Mayo. It borders Colonia Department to the west, Flores Department to the north and the departments of Florida, Canelones and Montevideo to the east. Its southern ...
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 ...
.
Geography
The city is located at the centre of the department, on the intersection of
Route 3 with
Route 11, from
the centre 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 ...
. The railroad track connecting Montevideo with Colonia and with the northwest of the country passes through the city. The river
Río San José flows along the northeastern and eastern limits of the city.
Increased
precipitation
In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...
as a result of
climate change
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
and impermeabilization of the local land surfaces has made San José de Mayo more prone to flooding over the 1987–2017 period.
History
San José de Mayo was founded on 1 July 1783. It had acquired "Villa" (town) status before the independence of Uruguay, which was elevated to "Ciudad" (city) on 12 July 1856 by the Act of Ley Nº 495.
[ During the 19th century it became a commercial and cultural centre, known as "Montevideo chico" ("little Montevideo"). The theatre "Teatro Macció" was constructed at the turn of the 20th century.
]
Population
In 2023 San José de Mayo had a population of 38,553.
Places of worship
* Cathedral Basilica and National Sanctuary of St. Joseph (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 ...
)
* Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompei Parish Church (Roman Catholic)
* Our Lady of Fatima Parish Church (Roman Catholic)
* Our Lady of the Orchard Chapel (Roman Catholic)
Economy
Besides being the administrative capital of the department, the city is an active regional commercial and financial centre. Its economy is linked mainly to cattle
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...
ranching, and it is an agro-industrial centre for dairy products, packing houses, mills, and chemicals.
Notable residents
*, (1892-1918), musician and composer
* Laura Cortinas (1881-1969), writer, politician, feminist and playwright
*Ismael Cortinas
Ismael Cortinas is a town in the Flores Department of Uruguay.
Geography
The town is located on the junction of Route 23 with Route 12, at southwest edge of the department and borders the departments of Soriano, Colonia and San José. The G ...
(1884-1940), politician
References
External links
INE map of San José de Mayo
Populated places in the San José Department
Populated places established in 1783
{{SanJoséUY-geo-stub