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 population of around 32,174.
Following the restoration of the Portuguese crown, King Peter II sought to establish the southern border of Brazil. Manuel Lobo with 5 ships containing about 400 soldiers, craftsmen, carpenters and stonecutters, and 18 guns, reached San Gabriel Island on 20 January 1680. On 28 January, they commenced establishing a post. José de Garro sent spies from Santo Domingo de Soriano on 22 February 1680, after receiving a negative response on 10 February to his ultimatum to leave the site. Garro sent a force of 3,400 men under the command of Antonio de Vera Mujica, capturing the besieged town on the night of 6–7 August 1680. Lobo was taken as a prisoner to Buenos Aires, where he died on 7 January 1683. A treaty between Spain and Portugal signed in 1681 returned Colonia to Portugal.: 105–106, 109 Field Marshal Duarte Teixeira Chaves arrived off the San Gabriel Islands on 25 January 1683, and commenced to rebuild the settlement. Field Marshal Cristóvão Dornelas Abreu was its governor until 1690, when Dom Francisco Naper de Lencastre took over. Smuggling, and cattle hunting from the Banda Oriental, were the main components of the colony's economy. Lencastre ordered the building of houses of stone and mud with tile roofs, the enlargement of the city walls, and the addition of a fortified tower. The colonists grew wheat, hemp flax, and grape vines, and exported cattle hides to Rio de Janeiro, while importing wood and foodstuffs. Sebastião da Veiga Cabral took over as governor in 1699.: 113–115, 121–127, 131
Timeline of rule
The rule from 1680 to present (with flag of the period) is:
In 2023 Colonia del Sacramento had a population of 32,174.
Climate
Colonia del Sacramento has a mild humid subtropical climate, described by the Köppen climate classification as Cfa. Summers are warm and winters are cool, with relatively frequent frosts and fog. The precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year, with an average of 1,039 mm (40.91 in), and the annual average temperature is 17 °C (63 °F).
The city was developed on a peninsula that protrudes into the Río de la Plata. The 16-hectare "Barrio Histórico", or Portuguese Old City, was enclosed by a fortification wall across the peninsula in the site of present-day Calle Ituzaingó. Most of the fortification wall was removed in 1777 and some remaining parts again in 1859. The Portuguese part of the city has an irregular street network.[citation needed] Outside the wall, the historical part of the city was planned in the Spanish colonial style and in the characteristic checkerboard layout.
The local professional football team is Plaza Colonia, founded in 1917, playing at the Estadio Profesor Alberto Suppici. They won the 2016 Clausura national championship, their biggest success to date. Deportivo Colonia, founded in 1999, lost its professional status in 2007. They play at the Estadio Miguel Campomar. Club Atlético Plaza has futsal, volleyball and basketball sections, as well as a football section based at Estadio Néstor Naviliat. The town's Plaza de toros Real de San Carlos is a disused bullring which has been renovated and repurposed as stage for half-marathon with over 1,500 runners and performing arts venue such as La Renga concert.
The Barrio Histórico (historic quarter) section of Colonia del Sacramento is designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It has some cobblestone streets built by the Portuguese in the 17th century, and is within walking distance of the town's ferry terminal. Among the tourist attractions around the tree-lined Plaza Mayor (main square) are:
Colonia del Sacramento is served by three ferry boat lines (1.5 hours) from Buenos Aires, Argentina: "Buquebus", "Colonia Express" and "Seacat Colonia". As of 2025[update], 2.5—2.9 million people yearly travel across the River Plate, with Colonia as the busiest with 2.1 million people. Two principal highways end in Colonia: Route 1 connects Colonia to Montevideo 180 km to the east. Route 21 connects to points north, including the Aarón de Anchorena National Park (30 kilometres (19 mi) distant), and Fray Bentos where the Libertador General San Martín Bridge (100 km up river) is the last cross-border bridge over the River Plate area; by road over 450 km from Colonia to Buenos Aires. The town is served by Colonia Airport located 6 kilometres (4 mi) from Colonia along Route 1. There is a project in process to lengthen the runway from 1,375 m, and begin commercial flights to Buenos Aires (this was done in the past) and other cities within Uruguay.
Argentina maintains a consulate in Colonia del Sacramento.
