Santiago Vázquez, Montevideo
Encyclopedia
Santiago Vázquez is a town (pueblo) at the western limits of Montevideo Department
Montevideo Department
Montevideo is a department of Uruguay.It is by far the smallest one in area, and the most populated as well. It contains the city of Montevideo, capital of Uruguay. While most of the department is covered by the capital city, there are still smaller towns within its limits, e.g...
in Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
. It is part of the barrio
Barrio
Barrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...
(neighbourhood or district) of Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
called Paso de la Arena
Paso de la Arena
Paso de la Arena, also known by the composite name Paso de la Arena - Los Bulevares - Rincón del Cerro - Santiago Vázquez is a barrio of Montevideo, Uruguay...
, but its populations is counted separately from that of the city.
It is located at the mouth of the river Río Santa Lucía towards the Río de la Plata
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
, 22 kilometres (13.7 mi) from the centre of Montevideo.
History
It was given this name by a decree of 1912, in honor of a politician and co-founder of the Constitution of 1830.Population
In 2004, Santiago Vázquez had a population of 1,482 inhabitants.| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1963 | 1,520 |
| 1975 | 1,323 |
| 1985 | 1,387 |
| 1996 | 1,670 |
| 2004 | 1,482 |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay
Features
It is surrounded by an ecologically important natural environment consisting of the coasts, beaches and hills. It has a natural port which is part of the river delta and includes 25.000 hectars of wetlands. During the first half of the 20th century the village was converted into a touristic centre, marked by the construction of the "Hotel de la Barra", the boat races, the yacht club and the parks "Parque Segunda República Española" and Parque LecocqParque Lecocq
Parque Lecocq is a nature reserve northwest of Montevideo, Uruguay, near the town of Santiago Vázquez. It houses mammals and birds and protects flora and pursues/supports breeding programs...
, which is also a zoo.
Santiago Vázquez is also known as "La Barra", from the rotary iron bridge of British construction which along with the modern bridge of Ruta 1, join Montedieo with the San José Department
San José Department
San José Department is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is San José de Mayo.-Population and Demographics:As of the census of 2004, there were 103,104 people and 33,063 households in the department. The average household size was 3.0...
.
A little to the southwest of the village is situated the homonymous penitentiary facility.