Lavalleja Department (Departamento de Lavalleja)
The department is named in honor of Brigadier Juan Antonio Lavalleja, who had distinguished military and political action in the country's independence.
The department was created on June 16, 1837, with part of Cerro Largo and Maldonado departments. It was first named as Minas. In March 1888, it was asked that the Chamber of Deputies raised the settlement hierarchy of the village of Minas to be a town and to change the department's name to Lavalleja. The first was approved. From then, and until December 26, 1927, when the name was changed to Lavalleja, widespread debates about the matter were held. There was political will to designate a department under the name of the head of the Liberation Crusade, but not at the expense of Minas, even considering creating a new department named Lavalleja, being rejected afterwards.
Map - Lavalleja Department (Departamento de Lavalleja)
Map
Country - Uruguay
Flag of Uruguay |
The area that became Uruguay was first inhabited by groups of hunter–gatherers 13,000 years ago. The predominant tribe at the moment of the arrival of Europeans was the Charrúa people, when the Portuguese first established Colónia do Sacramento in 1680; Uruguay was colonized by Europeans late relative to neighboring countries. The Spanish founded Montevideo as a military stronghold in the early 18th century because of the competing claims over the region. Uruguay won its independence between 1811 and 1828, following a four-way struggle between Portugal and Spain, and later Argentina and Brazil. It remained subject to foreign influence and intervention throughout the 19th century, with the military playing a recurring role in domestic politics. A series of economic crises and the political repression against left-wing guerrilla activity in the late 1960s and early 1970s put an end to a democratic period that had begun in the early 20th century, culminating in the 1973 coup d'état, which established a civic-military dictatorship. The military government persecuted leftists, socialists, and political opponents, resulting in deaths and numerous instances of torture by the military; the military relinquished power to a civilian government in 1985. Uruguay is today a democratic constitutional republic, with a president who serves as both head of state and head of government.
Currency / Language
ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
---|---|---|---|
UYU | Uruguayan peso | $ | 2 |
ISO | Language |
---|---|
ES | Spanish language |