MONTEVIDEO

In the sixteenth century, the Spanish explorers came down the West Coast of South America, just as the Portuguese were sailing down the East Coast, and they confronted each other in the River Plate. This is why Uruguay is so central to an understanding of the history of the region.

Colonia del Sacramento, just opposite Buenos Aires, is a World Heritage Site because of the way in which this lovely colonial city reflects the successive waves of Spanish and Portuguese occupation, while Montevideo itself came into being as a Spanish response to the threat of a Portuguese settlement.

There’s a lot to be discovered in the Uruguayan capital: the Spanish colony, the British invasions, the fight for independence, the emergence of the nation under the influence (again) of the British… it’s all here in the wide avenues, the tranquil squares and the quietly fading beauty of Montevideo.