Executive Tower (Plaza Independencia, Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo) – located a block away from Estevez Palace, this is the current office of the president of Uruguay. Construction of this building originally began in 1965 (as the then-future Palace of Justice), but was interrupted in 1973 because of a military coup that year. With a return to […]
Estevez Palace (Plaza Independencia, Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo) – this building, built in 1873 (using Doric and Colonial architectural styles), acted as the office of the country’s president until the country’s return to democracy in 1985. Since then, it has been used only for official functions.
Colonia del Sacramento (Montevideo) – located two hours west of Montevideo (via Ruta 1), this town was originally settled by the Portuguese in 1680, and before the early 1800s, constantly changed hands between the Spaniards and the Portuguese (before becoming part of the independent nation of Uruguay). This town, which is on the Rio de […]
Casapueblo (Maldonado, Punta Ballena) – located just outside of the resort enclave of Punta del Este, this architectural wonder is the home of Uruguayan artist Carlos Páez Vilaró (the white-washed structures were developed as a citadel-sculpture similar to homes found in the Greek island of Santorini). Originally built as a tribute to Páez’ son Carlitos […]
Artigas Mausoleum (Plaza Independencia, Montevideo) – built during the 1930s, this monument, located at Montevideo’s Ciudad Vieja, is dedicated to Uruguay’s national hero José Artigas (who led the country to independence from Spain). His remains are kept in an underground room underneath the statue.
With Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the Americas ushering in Spanish colonialism through much of the Americas, Spanish explorers arrived in the sparsely-populated South American country now known as Uruguay in 1516. Initial resistance from indigenous groups prevented the Spaniards from settling in that country until the early 1600s (when cattle was introduced there). Although no […]
Younger visitors in particular may want to venture outside of the city to see the local amusement center, Kaskada Aqua Park (Av. Hispanoamericana # 90), whose management claims that it’s the largest in the Caribbean. Located a short distance from Santiago Airport, Kaskada Aqua Park offers a magic carpet water slide, swimming pools and other […]
With the Dominican Republic winning the 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC) tournament held in the U.S. by Major League Baseball (MLB), a spotlight now shines on that country’s formidable baseball talent. Die-hard American and international baseball fans can visit Estadio Cibao (Av. Imbert) and see the local professional league team, “Águilas Cibaeñas”, play the island’s […]
The growing popularity of American-style shopping centers has resulted in the presence of two malls in the middle & upper class districts of Los Jardines and Gurabo in Santiago: “Centro Plaza Internacional”, which has a variety of ladies apparel boutiques, men’s clothing stores, a Starbucks-style local café & book stores, DVD and videogame rental shop, […]
To a growing number of visitors, Santiago’s evolving nightlife is an attraction unto itself. This is divided into two distinct areas. One is the traditional Latin music scene, composed mainly of the island’s trademark rhythms (Merengue and Bachata). Local discos like “Ambis” (located at Autopista Duarte Km. 2) and various lounges like “Level” (located at […]