Visit Melo Uruguay

The city of Melo Uruguay lies in the northeastern region of beautiful country in South America. This is home to more than 50,000 Uruguayans and is earning a well deserved reputation as a historically significant vacation destination.

If an unhurried getaway and quiet surroundings appeal to you then Melo Uruguay should be one of the South American cities you consider including on your next itinerary.

Centrally located in the Cerro Largo Department, Melo is just a short drive from Brazil. The border shared with Brazil is the Conventos Stream, one of the branches of the Tacuari River.

Captain Agustin de la Rosa was a Spanish officer who was serving his military duty in South America during the 18th century. De la Rosa was responsible for founding the city of Melo on the 27th day of June, 1795. The original reason for this settlement was to offer shelter to the military guards in the Spanish units.

Melo Uruguay was located very close to Brazilian settlements that were established by Portuguese colonists. This meant that it had a great deal of strategic and military importance to both the Portuguese and the Spanish soldiers.

The city had to deal with repeated invasions by
the Portuguese army in the early years of its existence.

The city of Melo Uruguay has always been distinctly nationalistic and the people of Uruguay who live here wholeheartedly supported Spanish causes. This was sometimes very difficult to do given that Melo was located so far away from Uruguay’s national capital of Montevideo.

The Cerro Largo Division of soldiers was created to defend this remote countryside and these soldiers were known as criollo.

Even though the Melo residents often felt isolated and alone they never drifted in their allegiance and loyalty to Spain, despite their close geographic proximity to the Portuguese colonies in Brazil.

It was only after Uruguay declared its independence that Melo became recognized as the capital city for the Cerro Largo Department.

One of the historic landmarks in Melo is an ancient stone inn found along the shores of the Chuv del Tacauri stream. The name of this inn is Posta del Chuv and it is a favorite place for tourists to visit during their Uruguay travels.

You can even visit the banks of the Conventos Stream which is another waterway in Melo. This was once the location for a number of important boat races that were conducted under the auspices of Club Remeros Melo.

Unfortunately time has not been kind to Conventos Stream and this once beautiful body of water has become so polluted that public access is now banned.

Melo has retained much of its original character and the city remains very old fashioned and can even seem more out of date with the times than smaller, more rural Uruguay towns.

The architecture in Melo, Uruguay typically features buildings with low roofs and small windows. Still there is a charm about the place that many tourists come to appreciate.

The pace is slow and unhurried and there are few big city attractions to be sure.

This is a place to come and watch the stars at night, ride through the open countryside on horseback and learn about the history of Uruguay.

There are more literary, historic and cultural offerings here in Melo Uruguay than there are big shops and modern restaurants. Museums abound and one can visit:

Museo Historico Regional Gral Artigas
Museo Estancia del Cordobes
the Museo Casa Posta del Chuy del Tacuari
Museo Historico General Aparicio Saravia

Melo Uruguay has several hotels that offer comfortable accommodations for guests. These include:

Virrey Pedro de Melo
Assini Lago Merin Parador and
The Crown

Yet, for all of the critiques that have been made about Melo this city was important enough to be the site of a papal visit.

Pope John Paul II made a stop in Melo in 1988, much to the delight of the Catholic faithful in both Uruguay and Brazil. Large crowds of people flocked to the town just to catch a glimpse of the Holy Father.