Sacramento Colony
| Colonia del Sacramento | |
|---|---|
| Capital city | |
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 Colonia del Sacramento
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| Coordinates: 34°28′17″S 57°50′39″W / 34.47139°S 57.84417°WCoordinates: 34°28′17″S 57°50′39″W / 34.47139°S 57.84417°W | |
| Country |
 Uruguay
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| Department | Colonia |
| Founded | 1680 |
| Founded by | Manuel Lobo |
| Elevation | 27 m (89 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 26,231 |
| Time zone | UTC -3 |
| Postal code | 70000 |
| Dial plan | +598 452 (+5 digits) |
| Climate | Cfa |
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Official name | Historic Quarter of the City of Colonia del Sacramento |
| Criteria | Cultural: (iv) 
|
| Reference | 747 |
| Inscription | 1995 (19th Session) |
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Colonia del Sacramento (Spanish pronunciation: [koˈlonja ðel sakɾaˈmento]; formerly the Portuguese Colónia do Sacramento) is a city in southwestern Uruguay, by the Río de la Plata, facing Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is one of the oldest towns in Uruguay and capital of the Colonia Department. It has a population of around 27,000.
It is renowned for its historic quarter, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Modern Colonia del Sacramento produces textiles and has a free trade zone, in addition to a polytechnic centre and various government buildings.
Following the restoration of the Portuguese crown, Dom Pedro sought the resolution of the southern border of Brazil. Manuel Lobo with 5 ships containing about 400 soldiers, craftsmen, carpenters and stonecutters, and 18 guns, reached San Gabriel island on 20 Jan. 1680. On 28 Jan., they commenced establishing a post.
José de Garro sent spies from Santo Domingo de Soriano on 22 Feb. 1680, after receiving a negative response on 10 Feb. to his ultimatum to leave the site. Garro sent a force of 3400 men under the command of Antonio de Vera Mujica, capturing the besieged town on the night of 6-7 Aug. 1680. Lobo was taken as a prisoner to Buenos Aires, where he died on 7 Jan. 1683. A treaty between Spain and Portugal signed in 1681, returned Colonia to Portugal.
Field Marshal Duarte Teixeira Chaves arrived off the San Gabriel islands on 25 Jan. 1683, and commenced to rebuild the settlement. Field Marshal Cristovao Dornelas Abreu was its governor until 1690, when Don Francisco Naper de Lencastre took over. Smuggling, and cattle hunting from the Banda Oriental, were the main components of the colony's economy. Lencastre houses of stone and mud, with tile roofs, besides enlarging the city walls, and adding a fortified tower. The colonists grew wheat, hemp flax, and grape vines, exported cattle hides to Rio De Janeiro, while importing wood and foodstuffs. Sebastiao da Veiga Cabral took over as governor in 1699.
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