Brief overview of the museums of the City of Colonia del Sacramento. Uruguay

The museums of Colonia del Sacramento.

Portuguese Museum.

One of the genuine relics of the former Colony, called "Casa de Jean Beaudrix" old Portuguese cavalry captain and also "River House", now occupied by the Portuguese museum, unique in Uruguay.

It is the ideal site for the museum room. A part of its construction dates back to 1717 while the other in 1722. Great example of Portuguese architecture, built on two levels taking advantage of the natural fall of land, with two blocks communication, the main entrance is located across from the Plaza Mayor and the other across the street from San Pedro de Alcantara.

It was donated to the state for Exilda Criado Perez, having belonged to her sister Teresa. This and another home, are the only two properties with hipped roof Portuguese style throughout the city. The entrance hall also has the ceiling gabled wooden craft similar to that found in the House of Nacarello. This collection of relics that facilitates reconstruction of military period that left rich traces of popular culture since the founding of the colony to this day.

Preserves original floors and most of its interior walls built with wooden walls, filled with stone tile game and settled in adobe, called "San Andrés". The roofs are of tile and adobe faithfully restored and are obtaining excellent results. The furniture is a major grant from the government of Portugal. The stately mansion attracts the interest of visitors, conveying a profound balance and a strong expression of life.

The Kings Hall called magnetized with its majolica works perfectly accented with ambience. Factory Tile Santa Ana in Lisbon, representing the Portuguese monarchs who reigned at the time, stand the sight of visitors. Everything in this house summarizes history, the Hall of Governors, with their banners and tiles, the uniforms of Dragoons in 1772, a valuable series of English-made weapons used Portuguese forces in the wars for the possession of the Colony , war banners, shields bronze miniatures and polychrome pottery popular in short ... there's rendezvous with history, between this sober and elegant decoration, is inescapable.

Museum of the Spanish period.

At the junction of the streets of San Jose and Spain found that out of the house of Don Juan? Eagle, where he is staying after Bartolomé Mitre and now occupied by the Spanish Museum.

In this Portuguese construction from 1720, and revives our imagination flies past greatness. On the ground floor, ceramic look of Castile, and Galicia Zamora, representing the Spanish provinces who came to populate the colony. Along with costumes which emphasize the harmony of red skirts and black corsett, costumes of Leon, Segovia, Asturias and Galicia, is a uniform Infantry Regiment Cordoba.

Dazzling provincial tiles with shields and a large oil painting of the first Viceroy of Río de la Plata, Pedro de Cevallos, we convey the nostalgia of legendary aspects of the colony. Between maps, designs and various factors that call history is a framed flag belonging to the Spanish Regiment of Fixed Montevideo at the time of the English invasion of 1807. It had been deposited in the Convent of the Friars Mercedarios of Buenos Aires, a warrior who managed to save in a battle of the Rio de la Plata.

When the house was restored between the beam and roof decking, a 50 pesos bill, the National Bank of the United Provinces of Río de la Plata, dated 1827.

They remain there original documents as treaties between the Viceroy Cevallos and Charles III King of Spain, the Treaty of San Ildefonso and historical description of the moments experienced by Cologne. The aristocratic eighteenth century building, has a perfect intonation having openings whose lintels are monolithic stone carving, stone wall is 90 cm thick, the original hardwood mezzanine, its roof is typical Portuguese style, built hard wood brought from Paraguay, or Cinnamon-Quebracho-, pyramid-shaped decorated with tiles. The staircase and inner wall are original, as well as are the doors and frames that are unpainted.

Museum was inaugurated on August 29, 1976, and in 1992 added the farm adjoining Italianate building, around 1840, preserving the original arcade. In the background we can see the stables of 1720. A gloom around us and identifies us with this wonderful art museum rebuilt and served in its smallest details.

Municipal Museum.

Under Portuguese control was a so-called "Casa Two Secretaries", next to the Viceroy's House (these secretaries were the civil authorities of the Colony).

Today is called Casa del Almirante Brown and there it works the Municipal Museum. This name is that our government gives it as a reward for Brown, by a document of October 17, 1833, in honor of the work presented with the Liberty Campaign Artigas Oriental.

This historic house had belonged to the Governor of Cologne, Don Francisco Albin, commander of the Party and Espinillo Vipers, who had been awarded in 1793 by the Spanish Viceroy Nicolas de Arredondo. It is located opposite the "Plaza Mayor". "Housing Roof" was the name they called the top or upper floor. The lower rooms were so called "bottom."

The front end has two pillars of sandstone carving and the floor has large rooms, with walls Portuguese limited 80 inches thick. The upper floor has a terrace where a staircase descends at an angle, monolithic gray granite steps. The roof, the roof tile floors are cooked and hardwood mezzanine.

The museum was inaugurated on August 25, 1951. There are relics of inestimable value which shows the extent achieved by our indigenous culture. Among the highlights mortars preserved materials, pottery, bolas, arrowheads, puzzles, counting also with works belonging to Indians of northern Argentina and Mexico.

Samples from animals that comprise the habitat of indigenous, ceramics, a paleontology section and a fine selection of military weapons of our past, are some of the strongest attractions of the museum. Also there are the first programs of the runs made in the Plaza de Toros Monumental de San Carlos Real. The museum itself has no defined objective, since it, as well as highlight the many samples that displays a collection of stuffed birds, another of kissing bugs and butterflies without leaving maps and affluent fans of the time.

In the paleontological room, there is a shell of Glyptodonts and Lestodonte skeleton found in the area. The interior is embellished by a charming and fine decor. Municipal Museum visits becomes unpredictable, it calls us to meet with indelible traces of the past this corner of the River Plate.

Tile Museum.

Where it joins the Paseo de San Gabriel and La Calle de las Misiones de los Tapes, is a Portuguese farm with over three hundred years of life in which time has not worn out their forms and moldy tiles.

An impressive collection of tiles, is there, highlighting the first events in Uruguay in 1840, along with other French and Catalan origin. The same was inaugurated in 1988. Original are preserved, much of the floors and walls. Its restoration was a cultural investment by Citibank, which has contributed to a perfect fusion between nature and architectural mass, giving it a particular façade and harmony to your surroundings.

Regional Archives.

In Misiones de los Tapes Street No. 115, is a place where lies an authentic and elegant Portuguese style mansion in 1750.

There lies the essence of the story, there, in what is called "House of Palaces", now fully restored and recovered, are deposited the originals of the letters from the Governor's Vasconcellos 1735, the Missal of the Chapel of Narbonne , watercolors and lithographs of 1839, and other documents that stand out as a gem.

In terms of construction, all walls, roof, lintels of the doors and windows as well as the crosspieces, are original. We also found a niche where was located the patron saint of the house. The original documents from 1720 onwards as samples are large windows. Perched on one of its walls are a copy of the Coat of Departmental Capital City represents the struggle between Portugal and Spain. The same has a sun, the revolution of May, the phoenix, rising from the ashes, eleven stars in arcs representing the cities of the department, the tower common to the arms of Spain and Portugal, which has on one side the wolf and the lion on the other. The division of the upper and lower quarters, represents the Rio de la Plata, which sits in the profile of the historic town of 1763. Edge is the famous quote from Virgil: "In the spirit we get the fire hidden in the soul of the stone", motto of the Honorary Committee for Reconstruction.

As an original relic shows us what is used as a "Reading Room", both doors and walls are authentic. Among the important documents that are housed there, highlight a file police department, ranging from the year 1876 to 1898. The furniture was donated by the Portuguese Government and corresponds to replicas of the time.

Paleontological Museum.

In the heart of the Real de San Carlos, is located the so-called "Museum of Paleontology," then we can go back thousands of years back to prehistory. Here are shown the remains of various species found in places far from our Colony, no more than ten kilometers.

For two million years, lived in Uruguayan territory Glyptodonts large animals such as, animals porous bone breastplates were divided into small plates, with its head and tail also armored or ringed by species. Only the tail is three feet long which infers the impressive size of this issue. Besides the five armor sets Glyptodonts that there are no signs of other species such as the Panochtus and Chlamydotherium.

They have been found remains of other species such as half of an armadillo Dasipodido coracita ½ Prodaedicurus flow of a case of more than two million years old. Among the remains on display, there are several molars loose jaws and various extinct animals, as well as several medium-sized skulls. You can see a shelf with femurs and bone and Lestodonte Magatherio (the Magatherio was the largest mammal in the world) as well as a variety of invertebrate fossils and a complete pelvis Glossotherio. There are also several samples of minerals and archaeological pieces of the Indians. This private collection was donated by its owner to the City Council in Cologne and was opened as a museum in 1976.

MUSEUM IND? GENA.

The indigenous population in the Rio de la Plata, was known for living in tribes independent of each other, and their way of life was nomadic. They lived by hunting and fishing as well as the gathering of wild fruits. While not created a writing system, they were good craftsmen.

The bone, stone and clay were the materials that it worked and made their weapons and other utensils, which consisted of mortars, bolas, knives and pots of clay. Used for hunting spear, bow and arrow, the balls and puzzles.

They were called Indians "Charrúas." His dress was based on a fluke and ornaments were molluscs, feathers and bones. They believed in the afterlife if they did not have a clear religious belief. Nor was it clear neither his language nor his music. In 1988 was inaugurated this museum exhibits materials found in the area. This valuable private collection was donated to the Municipality of Cologne and is now guarded by its own creator.