Exploring Colonia

We began exploring Colonia with a street tour beginning near the Matriz Church. This church is one of the three famous landmarks that can be seen throughout Colonia del Sacramento. Our lovely tour guide educated us on the historical aspects of Colonia’s culture and architectural components. Beginning with a treaty finally signed by both the Spaniards and Portuguese in 1777, she explained how the two influences paint a truly unique dynamic across the city.

The Matriz Church in Colonia, Uruguay

After over a century of fighting, a treaty was signed to mark the end of an era. Although the Spaniards changed the main infrastructure of the city, the Portuguese decided to build from what was left of their previous creations and add to the Spaniards work. One student even described this combination as "refreshing" (Kierstin Lock). For the majority of the city, the streets run downward and vary in completely different sizes. The Portuguese made downward canals in order to allow the rain to drain into the river and because most houses were built where ever the people wanted, the roads weave between in all sizes. The Portuguese also created sewers and sidewalks to add to their very uniquely built city. Due to the trees that occupy Colonia, all of the houses and buildings are made from adobe or rocks. The mix between Spanish and Portuguese prominence makes Colonia a one of a kind place to visit.

Here is a downhill street that is very narrow

Learning about the culture and reasons why the city is so diverse made this exploration very exciting. Caroline Meizen believes "it was interesting to learn about the stories within the cities". Each part of our tour came with a different story that allowed for us to better understand the culture. After our tour guide filled our minds with stories and the reasoning behind the city's architecture, we finally had time to explore by ourselves. One of the most interesting places was a wall that was torn down because it stopped the citizens from being able to expand and grow. This broken wall has a draw bridge that is now open for the public to explore and take pictures around.

Draw bridge where the wall was torn down

Later on in the day, after taking photos on every street of the city, myself and Hayley Bobok struck up a conversation with a local artist. After complimenting her work and even purchasing small samples, the local artist had a rather emotional conversation with us. Explaining how much it meant to her that we liked her work, Hayley replied by telling her how important it is to take back a genuine and beautiful part of the culture. The conversation continued and added onto my previous understanding of how kind and community oriented the residents of Colonia truly are. Succeeding this experience, I have grown to love Colonio, their people, and the stray dogs they treat as their own. Today's journey may have come to an end but the memories we have made will stay with us forever. 

Store where local artwork and mementos are sold