Quiet town with a history of colonisation - Historic Quarter of the City of Colonia del Sacramento 747; Tango 00258
What and Why
Colonia del Sacramento, meaning Sacrament Colony in Spanish, was founded in the late 17th century CE by the Portuguese, sandwiched in between the Portuguese colony of Brazil and the Spanish Vice Royalty of the River Plate (Spanish: Virreinato del Río de la Plata), which later includes Argentina, Uruguay and Southern Brazil. Its strategic position and use as a smuggling port meant that its sovereignty was hotly contested and the city changed hands several times between Spain and Portugal.
The town is lined with old colonial buildings and cobbled streets and oozes a pleasant charm when one walks around, with its cityscape reflecting both Spanish and Portuguese influence. It is actually the second oldest city in Uruguay.
Toponymy
Ditto
See
The main historic centre (barrio histórico) can be completed within an hour of pleasant walk. There are a number of uninspiring museums which offer very little. Amongst the few historic buildings and monuments, the following are of interest:
Portón de Campo
The main city gate and wooden drawbridge.
Lighthouse (Faro)
The lighthouse (faro) is the landmark of the tiny town, it used to be a convent. The main cobble walks were constructed by the Portuguese and are always shaped lower in the middle, to allow water to drain to the sea. However when the Spanish came, they constructed roads that were the opposite shape: higher in the middle and lower in the sides. You can use this to differentiate which roads were constructed by whom during which period.
Many of the houses have circular shaped tiles to tile the roofs. These were made by African slaves and they used their thighs to shape the tiles!
Basilica of the Holy Sacrament (Basilica del Sanctísimo Sacramento)
The Basilica of the Holy Sacrament (Basilica del Sanctísimo Sacramento) is the main Catholic church in the town.
Humour Museum (Museo del Humor)
Incredibly the highlight of our visit to this historic town was nothing historic and cultural. The visit to the Humour Museum (Museo del Humor) was a surreal and utterly non-sensical experience. The museum is free-of-charge and is hosted by a former Argentinian larger-than-life comedian Ivan Rosemblat. You will be 'forced' to dance and sing with him around his museum and to the public but it does bring out the inner-child in you. While Rosemblat only speaks Spanish and perhaps two words of English, and we were in this museum with a pair of Brazilian who only speaks Brazilian, we did not feel disengaged at all!
Plaza Mayor
The Humour Museum is situated in the corner of Plaza Mayor, the central piazza lined with palm trees, is really not that major. There is an abandoned bullring outside the town and Casa del Virrey, reconstructed from the original ruins. During the morning, it was used by the Portuguese army as a site of military training and a cannon is fired to signal the training.
Buy and Do
Tango
A trip to Argentina and Uruguay is not complete if one does not have some experience of tango. Tango is the national dance of both Argentina and Uruguay and is naturally a UNESCO ICH. One will find people honing their skills everywhere in piazzas or street spaces, called milonga or some people will just start dancing in a restaurant when their feelings arrive! We witnesssed a few in Colonia del Sacramento along the Plaza Mayor.
We went for a night dance show in one of these studio-cafeteria in Buenos Aires and enjoyed a fabulous tango show. There is a guide map called Tangomap available to find these shows and milongas.
Many of these cafeterias offer tango courses and I know one of my friend couple who flew all the way here and danced nonstop for one week!
Eat and Drink
We went back to Buenos Aires and we tried the Argentine Experience. It is not a dinner but really an experience in which Argentinian slangs, gestures and culture are shared. We were also shared the way Argentinian steak is ordered in Spanish and prepared. Patrons are also taught how to make an empanada (Spanish dumpling or pie). Full of fun and enjoyment!
Getting There and Around
A very convenient two-hour ferry ride from Buenos Aires is all it takes. From the ferry pier it is just a 10-minute walk. The town is all walking distance with some of the best photospots. A good day trip is recommended. The ferry fare is around USD $80 for a round trip.
UNESCO Inscriptions
Founded by the Portuguese in 1680 on the Río de la Plata, the city was of strategic importance in resisting the Spanish. After being disputed for a century, it was finally lost by its founders. The well-preserved urban landscape illustrates the successful fusion of the Portuguese, Spanish and post-colonial styles.
The Argentinian and Uruguayan tradition of the Tango, now familiar around the world, was developed by the urban lower classes in Buenos Aires and Montevideo in the Rio de la Plata basin. Among this mix of European immigrants to the region, descendents of African slaves and the natives of the region known as criollos, a wide range of customs, beliefs and rituals were merged and transformed into a distinctive cultural identity. As one of the most recognizable embodiments of that identity, the music, dance and poetry of tango both embodies and encourages diversity and cultural dialogue. It is practised in the traditional dance halls of Buenos Aires and Montevideo, spreading the spirit of its community across the globe even as it adapts to new environments and changing times. That community today includes musicians, professional and amateur dancers, choreographers, composers, songwriters, teachers of the art and the national living treasures who embody the culture of tango. Tango is also incorporated into celebrations of national heritage in Argentina and Uruguay, reflecting the widespread embrace of this popular urban music.
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