Colonia del Sacramento is a city in southwestern Uruguay, located near the Río de la Plata and facing Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is one of the oldest towns in Uruguay and serves as the capital of the Colonia Department. According to the 2023 census, the city has a population of about 32,174.

The historic area of Colonia del Sacramento is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, the city is known for producing textiles and has a free trade zone. It also includes a polytechnic center and several government buildings.

History

After the return of the Portuguese royal family, King Peter II aimed to define Brazil's southern border. In January 1680, Manuel Lobo arrived at San Gabriel Island with five ships carrying about 400 soldiers, craftsmen, carpenters, stonecutters, and 18 guns. On January 28, they began building a settlement.

José de Garro sent spies from Santo Domingo de Soriano on February 22, 1680, after Spain refused to leave the site on February 10. Garro sent 3,400 soldiers led by Antonio de Vera Mujica, who captured the town on the night of August 6–7, 1680. Lobo was taken prisoner to Buenos Aires and died there on January 7, 1683. A 1681 treaty between Spain and Portugal returned Colonia to Portugal.

Field Marshal Duarte Teixeira Chaves arrived at San Gabriel Island on January 25, 1683, and started rebuilding the settlement. Field Marshal Cristóvão Dornelas Abreu governed until 1690, when Dom Francisco Naper de Lencastre took over. The colony's economy relied on smuggling and hunting cattle from the Banda Oriental. Lencastre ordered homes made of stone, mud, and tile roofs, expanded city walls, and added a fortified tower. Colonists grew wheat, hemp, flax, and grapes, and exported cattle hides to Rio de Janeiro while importing wood and food. Sebastião da Veiga Cabral became governor in 1699.

During the War of the Spanish Succession, Buenos Aires' governor, Valdes Incian, began the Siege of Colonia del Sacramento. Spanish forces, led by Baltazar García Ros from October 18, 1704, to March 14, 1705, forced colonists to evacuate by Portuguese ships. Only churches and a bridge remained untouched.

The colony was returned to Portugal in the Treaty of Utrecht. Manuel Gomes Barbosa arrived with 1,040 colonists on February 10, 1718. More colonists arrived in 1721. Antonio Pedro de Vasconcellos became governor in 1722 and made Colonia the wealthiest and most secure city in the Rio de la Plata region. He built coastal forts named São Pedro de Alcântara, São Miguel, Santo António, São João, Carmo, and Santa Rita.

A failed attack during the Spanish-Portuguese War (1735–1737) occurred. Don Luis Garcia de Bivar became governor in 1749 but died in 1760. The 1750 Treaty of Madrid was never honored and was later declared invalid. Brigadier Vicente da Silva da Fonseca then governed, but he surrendered the colony to Pedro Antonio de Cevallos on October 11, 1762. Spain returned the colony in the 1762 Treaty of Fontainebleau, and Dom José Pedro de Figueiredo Sarmento became governor on December 27, 1763. He was replaced by Francisco José da Rocha on March 15, 1777.

The Treaty of San Ildefonso in 1777 made the colony a Spanish possession again. It later returned to Portuguese control and was incorporated into Brazil in 1816 when the Banda Oriental (Uruguay) was taken by the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves and renamed Cisplatina.

On January 10, 1809, before Uruguay's independence, Colonia was designated a "Vila" (town in Portuguese) and later became a "Ciudad" (city in Spanish).

Since independence, Colonia del Sacramento has expanded north and east, but the original historic district, Bairro Histórico, still has its irregular street layout designed by the Portuguese, different from the newer Spanish area's straight streets.

In 2022, Uruguay announced plans to build a new city called Colonia Ala Este, modeled after Silicon Valley, to attract Argentine immigrants. This project would double Colonia's population to about 60,000 people. With over $100 million in initial investment, the city would be built on a 500-hectare site with forests, seven kilometers of coastline, and beaches like Calabrés and Fernando. It would focus on sustainability and the knowledge economy.

The rule from 1680 to the present (with the flag of the period) is:

Geography

Colonia del Sacramento has a climate that is not too hot or too cold, with plenty of humidity. This type of climate is called Cfa in the Köppen climate system. During the summer months, temperatures are warm, and in winter, they are cool. Frosts and fog are common throughout the year. Rain falls evenly across all seasons, with an average of 1,039 mm (40.91 in) each year. The average temperature for the entire year is 17 °C (63 °F).

Urban fabric

The city was built on a peninsula that extends into the Río de la Plata. The 16-hectare "Barrio Histórico," also known as the Portuguese Old City, was surrounded by a fortification wall across the peninsula, located where Calle Ituzaingó is today. Most of the wall was taken down in 1777, and some parts were removed again in 1859. The Portuguese section of the city has streets that are not arranged in a regular pattern.

Beyond the wall, the historical area of the city was designed in the Spanish colonial style, with streets laid out in a checkerboard pattern.

Sport

The local professional football team is Plaza Colonia, which was founded in 1917. They play their games at the Estadio Profesor Alberto Suppici. The team's greatest achievement was winning the 2016 Clausura tournament.

Deportivo Colonia was founded in 1999 but lost its professional team status in 2007. The team plays its games at the Estadio Miguel Campomar.

Club Atlético Plaza has sports sections for futsal, volleyball, basketball, and football. The football section plays at the Estadio Néstor Naviliat.

The town's Plaza de toros Real de San Carlos was once used for bullfighting. It is no longer used for that purpose but has been fixed up and changed to a place for performing arts.

Points of interest

The Barrio Histórico (historic quarter) of Colonia del Sacramento is named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It includes cobblestone streets built by the Portuguese in the 17th century and is near the town's ferry terminal. Around the tree-lined Plaza Mayor (main square), visitors can see:

• Portón de Campo – the City Gate and wooden drawbridge
• The lighthouse and ruins of the 17th-century Convent of San Francisco
• Basílica del Santísimo Sacramento – a stone church built by the Portuguese in 1808
• Portuguese Museum – a building from the 18th century that shows Portuguese furniture, jewelry, uniforms, and maps of naval journeys
• Casa de Nacarello – a Portuguese house from the 18th century
• Calle de los Suspiros – a street with historical importance
• Municipal Museum – a building rebuilt by the Spanish in 1835 as the Casa del Almirante Brown, which displays items and documents from the city’s history
• Viceroy's House – the Casa del Virrey, rebuilt from the original ruins
• Plaza de toros Real de San Carlos – a former bullring now used for sports and cultural events

Gallery

• Views of the Barrio Histórico
• The Portuguese led an attack on Nova Colonia, 6 January 1763
• Map of the Old City Displayed on Ceramic Tiles
• View of the Historic District from the Top of the Lighthouse
• Portón de Campo – the City Gate
• Another View of the City Gate
• Lighthouse at Colonia del Sacramento
• Calle San Pedro, a Typical Street in the Historic District
• The 1866 Wharf of Colonia
• The Water Front
• Old Car Parked on Calle Real in the Historic District
• Night at the Historic Quarter District – "Misiones de los Tapes" Street
• The Buquebus Seen from the Paseo San Gabriel
• Restaurant on a Corner
• Wall Art in Colonia del Sacramento
• Remains of Portuguese Azulejo

Transportation

Colonia del Sacramento is connected to Buenos Aires, Argentina, by three ferry services that take about one and a half hours to travel. These services are called "Buquebus," "Colonia Express," and "Seacat Colonia." As of 2025, about 2.5 million people travel each year across the River Plate using these ferries.

Two main highways lead to Colonia. Route 1 connects Colonia to Montevideo, which is 180 kilometers to the east. Route 21 connects to areas north of Colonia, including the Aarón de Anchorena National Park, which is 30 kilometers away, and Fray Bentos. The Libertador General San Martín Bridge, located 100 kilometers up the river, is the last cross-border bridge over the River Plate area. By road, the distance from Colonia to Buenos Aires is more than 450 kilometers.

Colonia has an airport located 6 kilometers from the town along Route 1. A project is currently underway to extend the airport’s runway from 1,375 meters. This improvement will allow commercial flights to Buenos Aires and other cities in Uruguay, as was done in the past.

Twin towns – sister cities

• Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala
• Guimarães, Portugal
• Olinda, Brazil
• Pelotas, Brazil
• Quilmes, Argentina