How was Punta del Este Born?
The origin of the name is geographic, the East Point of the bay of Maldonado. Nevertheless, Juan Diaz de Solis, in 1516, gave the first name of Cabo de Santa Maria and Rio de Santa Maria to the Rio de la Plata...
In the maps from century XVI to century XVII it was denominated Cabo de Santa Maria and although from the expedition of Gaboto the river was called "de la Plata", the rocky end to his entrance was still called: "Santa Maria". Just in century XVIII begins to be denominated Punta del Este having forgotten the one of Santa Maria...
From aims of century XVIII existed a battery, the San Fernando in the southwestern end of the peninsula, in front of the Boca Chica, with the corresponding quarter of guard and powder magazine. It was constructed between 1765 and 1766 and reformed in 1780, it was the first construction raised by the man in the peninsula...
In 1820, there were farms with sailors and employees of Francisco Aguilar, concessionaire of the operation of the Island of Wolves, dedicated to the task of the wolves and the transfer of leathers and the oil from the island to the port and from there to Maldonado in carts...
In 1827 the Brazilians occupy the peninsula taking advantage of the miss protection caused by the invasion of Rio Grande, where most of the combatant troops of the region were transferred for the war, that culminated with the Battle of Ituzaingó. They build a redoubt of artillery, that in addition of the possession of the Gorriti Island, allows them to use of the Port of Maldonado, vital to maintain the sea communications from Brazil to Montevideo. This gives rise to violent combats which causes its abandonment...
In 1829, already being an independent country, Francisco Aguilar and the Council of Administration of the department, propose the creation of a town in the peninsula, theater of the described combats, denominating it Ituzaingó, in memory of the greater battle in number of contenders that got rid in our history, between the Brazilian imperial forces and the republicans of the United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata the 20 of February of 1827, in the course of the War of Independence 1825-1828, in which Maldonado participated with a Division...
The economic difficulties of the new country and the interminable civil wars prevented the necessary stability for the establishment of a population in this zone of difficult ground communication lines due to the sand dunes that surrounded it...
During the decade of the 30's it would practically remain desert with a single used construction, of the State, in the port for guard, although land denunciations and divisions on the part of citizens of Maldonado had taken place, the always present Aguilar, Alvarez de Bengochea, Coit, Susviela, Formoso (most of them administrative authorities)...
In the heat of Great War, in 1843, the Government of the Defense, presided by Joaquin Suárez, sells by 45,000 pesos of silver the peninsula to Samuel and Alexander Lafone. The sale included the Gorriti Island and conditioned the land division and establishment of a population in the Punta, yielding to the State the two third parts of each block...
No comments:
Post a Comment