Montevideo

 

Plaza Zabala

 

Constitution Sqaure

Plaza Independencia

Montevideo is small, with a compact old town called Ciudad Viejo.  We started our walk at the pier, with a short walk to Plaza Zabala, a beautiful square with trees, gardens, iron fences, and the Taranco Palace on its north side.

We walked Sarandi, the main pedestrian shopping street.  Cathedral de la Immaculada Concepcion (Metropolitan Cathedral) is the main parish church in Montevideo, started in 1790 and completed in 1804, it is the oldest public building in Montevideo.  It has domed bell towers, a beautiful altar, side chapels and mosaic floor.  The church faces Plaza de la Constitucion (also called Martiz Square), with the Cabildo (colonial city hall from 1830) on the opposite side of the square.

Metropolitan Cathedral

Cathedral Nave

Cathedral Altar

Cathedral tile floor

Teatro (Theater) Solis has a beautiful exterior, but was not open for tours when we visited.  

Back on Sarandi, Libreria Mas Puro Versa (in the Pablo Ferrando Edifice) bookstore is historic, with old wooden shelves, stained glass, and a wrought iron elevator.  

Libreria Mas Puro Versa

Enter Plaza Independencia past the gate, which is the last remaining portion of the Spanish wall around Ciudad Viejo.  The massive statue and mausoleum of Jose Gervasio Artigas (led Montevideo to independence from Spain in 1811) dominates the square. Finally, the Palacio Salvo was the tallest building in South America when built.  It’s design in influenced by Dante’s Divine Comedy, with the bottom portion representing hell, the middle representing purgatory, and the top is heaven.  

Palacio Salva

Spanish Gate

Palacio Estevez

 

Plaza Independencia

Café La Farmacia is a must see, located in an old pharmacy as the name suggests.    

Cafe La Farmacia

Cafe La Farmacia

Finally, we stopped at the Mercado del Puerta, which is a great collection of artists stalls and restaurants in a nineteenth century market.