Uruguay - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 832

Ciudad Vieja
If you've ever seen a fictionalized version
of Havana on TV or film, it's quite
possible it was actually shot in
Montevideo's Ciudad Vieja , so
reminiscent are its streets of those in
the Cuban capital. Dotted among the
crumbling houses and cobbled streets
are endearingly bizarre (and mostly free)
museums and galleries, while the
highlight is the glorious Mercado
del Puerto .

Plaza de la Constitución and around
Lively pedestrian boulevard Sarandí
cuts through the centre of the old city
- starting at the Puerta de la Ciudadela
- with its street-sellers, artisans, buskers
and frequent parades, to the Plaza de la
Constitución . Also referred to as the Plaza
Matríz, this is Uruguay's oldest square,
dating back to 1726. It's dominated by
the Catedral Metropolitana , also known
as the Iglesia Matríz, which, despite
dating back to 1790, is underwhelming
by Latin American standards.

10

Plaza Independencia and around
A good place to start a walking tour of
the Ciudad Vieja is the Puerta de la
Ciudadela , dating to 1746, marking the
original site of the Citadel of Montevideo
on the Plaza Independencia . This square
commemorates the emergence of
Uruguay as a sovereign nation, and
a 17m-high statue and mausoleum
(under the statue; daily 9am-5pm)
of José Artigas , the man credited with
kick-starting Uruguay's independence
campaign against Spain and Portugal,
stands aptly in the centre.
The area around the plaza contains
eclectic architectural styles from different
periods, from the pretty ugly Torre
Ejecutiva where the president performs
his duties, to the bulbous tower of the
Palacio Salvo , built on the reported site of
the first ever performance of tango.
Tucked behind the plaza's southwestern
corner is the celebrated Teatro Solís
(see p.842), the most prestigious theatre
in the country, completed in 1856 and
remodelled a few times thereafter. The
guided tours (Tues & Thurs 4pm, Wed &
Fri-Sun 11am, noon and 4pm; UR$20
in Spanish, or free on Wed; UR$40 in
English, arrange in advance) are a fun
way to see behind the scenes, but to
experience its full splendour, you really
have to watch a performance.
On the south side of the plaza, the
old Presidential palace, a Neoclassical
building from 1873, now houses the
intriguing Museo Casa de Gobierno
(Mon-Fri 10am-5pm; free;
T 02 1515902), which charts the
history of the country via its often
eccentric presidents.

Museo Torres García and
Museo Gurvich
Sarandí is home to two of Uruguay's
finest art galleries. At No. 683 the
Museo Torres García (Mon-Fri
10am-7pm, Sat 10am-6pm; UR$65;
T

29162663, W torresgarcia.org.uy)
is devoted to the work of Uruguay's
visionary artist, Joaquín Torres García,
who championed the creation of a
Latin American art form and created the
upside-down image of South America
that is so prevalent in artesanía in
Uruguay. Torres García's most famous
pupil is honoured on the Plaza Matríz
next to the cathedral (due to move
along Sarandí in 2013) at the excellent
Museo Gurvich (Mon-Fri 10am-6pm,
Sat 11am-3pm; UR$65, free on Tues;
T 29157826, W museogurvich.org).
Lithuanian Jewish immigrant José
Gurvich gained fame in his own right
with elaborate murals and sculptures,
reminiscent of Chagall and Miró.

Around Plaza Zabala
Named for the founder of Montevideo,
leafy Plaza Zabala may be passed by if it
weren't for the Palacio Taranco on the
north side. An opulent private home that
was designed by Charles Louis Girault
and Jules Leon Chifflot - the same
French team who created the Arc de
Triomphe - it now holds the Museo de
Artes Decorativas (entry at 25 de Mayo
376; Mon-Fri 12.30-5.30pm; free;
T

29151101, W cultura.mec.gob.uy). The
beautifully displayed collection includes
Uruguayan art and an expansive world
pottery collection.