Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

This beautiful little town on the Rio de la Plata is a Unesco World Heritage Site. Although it is very popular with tourists, the day I visited it was quiet and almost deserted. The cobblestone streets and colonial era buildings are picturesque - it's hard to believe that it used to be a very seedy port at one time.

Porton de Campo - original city wall and (reconstructed) gate

Calle de los Suspiros (Steet of Sighs)

Iglesia Matriz

Iglesia Matriz - begun in 1680 - Uruguay's oldest church

Faro (lighthouse) built on the foundation of a 17th century convent

View of Colonia from the lighthouse

View of Colonia from the lighthouse (you can see the church towers in the upper right)

From a window in the lighthouse stair

From the lighthouse - what remains of Convento de San Francisco

Back at the city wall

View of Iglesia Matriz from Plaza de Armas

Sycamore trees

Colonia is known for its picturesque sunsets

Joaquin Torres Garcia

I visited Montevideo, Uruguay across the Rio de La Plata from Buenos Aires recently. There we went to Museo Torres Garcia - a museum dedicated to the work of Uruguayan artist Joaquin Torres Garcia. I enjoyed the introduction to this wonderful artist who is credited with introducing Constructivism to South America. He lived most of his adult life in Europe, but upon his return to Uruguay he began to be influenced by Pre-Columbian and indigenous art. This influence gives his later works a distinctly South American vibe.

He is perhaps best known for the sketch "America Invertida", but I loved his colorful constructivist paintings from the 1940's.

America Invertida

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"A great School of Art ought to arise here in our country... I have said School of the South; because in reality, our North is the South.  There should be no North for us, except in opposition to our South.  That is why we now turn the map upside down."