When Buenos Aires declared independence for the entire Viceroyalty, Montevideo remained loyal to the Spanish crown. BA apparently didn’t consult their neighbors… some things never change! No matter. Montevideo grew as a result, but 18 years later they also broke away. What initially began as a small port town…
Read More »montevideo: avenida 18 de julio
Although founded practically two centuries after Buenos Aires, early Montevideo followed the same city plan in 1724 as almost every other Spanish colonial town. Fitting snugly into a small outcrop & taking advantage of a natural port, the Ciudad Vieja consists of only 100 blocks —give or take a few— arranged in an 8 x 13 grid. The establishment of Montevideo attempted to resist encroaching Portuguese settlements, namely Colonia del Sacramento founded in 1680. Montevideo’s population grew very slowly, but in 1829 city officials demolished fortress walls & the Old City took on its current character.
Read More »montevideo: ciudad vieja
Living in Argentina’s capital city for 12 years, somehow I’d never been to the capital of Uruguay, just across the river. We all know the Río de la Plata is actually a super-wide delta, so the “quick” ferry takes 3 hours & a flight averages 50 minutes. Montevideo isn’t really as close as it appears on a map:
Read More »montevideo: first impressions
Perhaps to prove I saw more than religious architecture in Córdoba, there are even more photos in this post. Even though it was the middle of winter & the weather didn’t always cooperate, I managed to get a few decent shots. The newest architecture is pretty exciting —with a few notable exceptions— and the best from the past are a number of surviving Neocolonial buildings (pretty much the same period as Art Deco). So in no particular order, here’s the rest from my walks around Córdoba…
Read More »argentina: córdoba, civil architecture
Founded in 1573 by Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera, he named the city after his wife’s Spanish hometown. Location was key. As geographic center between the capital in Perú & the major Atlantic outlet of the Río de la Plata, Córdoba became an ideal crossroads… connecting men & ideas throughout the Viceroyalty. Remember that Buenos Aires would be founded for a second time seven years after Córdoba.
Read More »argentina: córdoba, religious architecture