Colonia del Sacramento

Colonia del Sacramento is the capital of Uruguay's Colonia Department, on the Rio de la Plata across from Buenos Aires, with 32,164 residents at the 2023 census. Founded in 1680 by the Portuguese explorer Manuel Lobo, who arrived with five ships carrying about 400 soldiers, craftsmen and eighteen guns, it is one of Uruguay's oldest towns, and its historic quarter blends an irregular Portuguese street plan with a later Spanish colonial grid; named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, it now serves as a ferry hub linking Uruguay to Buenos Aires across the river.