Uruguayan Democratization
A history of Uruguayan democratization.
Contents
Rio de la Plata
The Uruguay River basin was sparsely populated by nomadic peoples.
The river itself served as the legal boundary between Spanish and Portuguese land claims. In actuality though, the Portuguese regularly and repeatedly pushed into the eastern bank (Banda Oriental). For example, they settled Colonia del Sacramento opposite Buenos Aires on the Río de la Plata. This city traded hands repeatedly, including a cession back to Portugal through the Treaty of Utecht, but ultimately in the 18th century the Portuguese were forced to retreat. The Spanish now settled a fortification as Montevideo to maintain control over the region.