Uruguay's Colonia a treasure trove of two former colonial powers

By Anja Sokolow Nov 15, 2011, 3:06 GMT

Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay - The historic quarter of Colonia del Sacramento has long been a popular tourist attraction with visitors drawn to its stunning Spanish and Portuguese colonial architecture.

Steeped in history, the oldest town in Uruguay and capital of the province of Colonia was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995 and has undergone substantial restoration work over the past two decades.

Tour guide Karin Reimer remembers how, 20 years ago, tourists from Buenos Aires on their way to the Atlantic bathing spots further along the coast simply passed the harbour city by without even a cursory visit.

'Virtually nobody wanted to stop and tour the old city,' explains Reimer.

Today, Colonia can be reached from Buenos Aires in just 45 minutes by bus and, since making the UNESCO list, tourist numbers have grown substantially, with a particularly large increase in the number of visitors from the Argentine capital.

According to local tourist office figures, in 2009 there were approximately 2,000 tours of the old city, which has a population of just 300 people.

Around half of the visitors to Colonia come from neighbouring Argentina but there has been an increase in the number of tourists from other parts of the world selecting the city as a short-stop holiday destination.

Founded as Nova Colonia do Sacramento in 1680 by Manuel de Lobo, the city was the only Portuguese settlement along the Rio de la Plata.

The Spanish immediately settled on the opposite bank of the river at Buenos Aires and the colony was conquered by Jose de Garro in the same year, but returned to Portugal in 1681.

The settlement was conquered again by the Spanish in 1705 and razed to the ground after a siege of five months. 'Colonia was a bone of contention between the two colonial powers from the start,' explains Reimer.

The colony changed hands again following the Treaty of Utrecht while the Spanish failed to retake Colonia with an attack during the Spanish-Portuguese War between 1735 and 1737. The city only truly settled down when Uruguay became an independent republic in 1828.

The Portuguese influence is seen in the style of houses and cobblestoned streets with the finest examples to be found along the Calle de los Sospieros.

For their part the Spanish built impressive colonial villas with gardens, wells and extensive iron ornamentation, many of which have now been converted into luxury hotels.

A trip to the El Faro lighthouse with its views over the Rio del Plata is a must for any visitor to Colonia as are the impressive city walls and cathedral.

The walled city is entered via the Puerta de Campo, a drawbridge built in 1745. The bridge marks the beginning of the historic district, with its thick fortified walls and tile and stucco buildings.

The narrow streets are crammed with small galleries, souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants while the city's pride in its heritage status can be seen by the almost ubiquitous presence of the UNESCO logo, which can be seen on everything from t-shirts to plates.

The reason the city's historic quarter is so well preserved is because it was for so long a poor district with any building development happening in the new city.

The first efforts at protecting the old city came in the 1960s while the first proper building restoration was carried out by an Argentine when he bought a rundown Portuguese house in 1970. 'He modernized it and suddenly the other houses became much more sought after,' says Reimer.

The city offers accommodation for every budget, ranging from numerous hostels for backpackers to the luxurious Sheraton hotel. There are currently 2,500 hotel beds available in Colonia, which as a population of around 22,000.

'Tourism has saved us,' says Reimer. 'The textile factories, which were the main employers, closed a few years ago.'