Colonia del Sacramento: A UNESCO Colonial Jewel
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Colonia del Sacramento: A UNESCO Colonial Jewel

Colonia del Sacramento — founded by the Portuguese in 1680 on the Río de la Plata estuary — is the oldest town in Uruguay and a UNESCO World Heritage Site; the cobblestone streets, whitewashed colonial houses, and the mixed Portuguese-Spanish architecture create one of South America's most perfectly preserved historic towns

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    Portuguese Foundation

    Colonia was founded by Portuguese explorers from Brazil in 1680 as Nova Colônia do Sacramento — a strategic port on the Río de la Plata opposite Buenos Aires; the city changed hands between Portugal and Spain seven times in the following century; the resulting architecture blends both colonial traditions in a unique combination found nowhere else

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    Cobblestone Calle de los Suspiros

    Calle de los Suspiros (Street of Sighs) - Colonia's most photographed street - is a narrow cobbled street lined with Portuguese colonial houses with colorful doors, bougainvillea cascading over the walls and antique lampposts; the street leads from the center towards the river and has become the symbol of colonial Colonia

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    Historic lighthouse

    The lighthouse at the southern tip of the Barrio Histórico – built on the ruins of a colonial monastery – offers the finest panoramic views of the city, the Río de la Plata and the Buenos Aires skyline 50km away across the water; the lighthouse is the most visible landmark in Colonia's colonial skyline

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    The ruins of the monastery

    The ruins of the 17th-century Convent of San Francisco – preserved in their roofless state – are the most evocative colonial remains in Colonia; the stone walls, the intact doorways and the bougainvillea growing through the ruins create a romantic ruin landscape in the heart of the Barrio Histórico

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    Portón de Campo Gate

    Portón de Campo – the original fortified gate of the colonial city – is the best-preserved part of Colonia's defensive walls; the gate, the foundations of the drawbridge and the surviving parts of the 17th century walls define the entrance to the Barrio Histórico

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    Plaza Mayor

    Plaza Mayor – the central square of the Barrio Histórico, surrounded by colonial buildings, the municipality, the church and the archaeological museum – is the social and civic heart of Colonia; the square's colonial proportions, the mature trees and the surrounding architecture create one of South America's finest colonial squares

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