Artigas's Statue in the Plaza Independencia Montevideo

Are you going to be in Uruguay this weekend?  If so, take advantage of what’s on offer for the Dia del Patrimonio

(Heritage Day).  Every year at the end of September, the majority of Uruguay’s heritage buildings, monuments and areas, open their doors to the public and offer guided tours.  This is a great way of discovering a little of the history of Uruguay.  Throughout the whole weekend, you will see people taking advantage of the different offerings – from tango shows to guided tours, photo displays to bus tours, there are so many things to see and do throughout Montevideo

and the whole of Uruguay.

I am going to be in La Paloma, and you can see what we’ll be up to here.  For those of you in Montevideo, I have narrowed down my top ten things to do (in no particular order).  This is what I would be doing, if I was in Montevideo

this weekend.

Museo Militar “18 de Mayo de 1811″ (Soriano 1090 Esq Paraguay)

On Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 6pm, you can take advantage of the guided tours of the Museo Historico del Ejercito (Historical Army Museum). There will be an exposition of historical military vehicles and weapons. While this

one seems more for the boys, and I am not a particular fan of War, I thought it would be interesting to see the vehicles in the 1800′s.

Suprema Corte de Justicia (Pasaje de los Derechos Humanos 1310)

This one will be open on Saturday only, from 10am to 5pm. This building boasts some amazing architecture and really beautiful public spaces (well, so I’m told). This is a Historical National Monument.

Sala Verdi (Soriano 914)

On Saturday at 9pm there will be a show put on by the National Comedy Group “La Cabra o quien es Silvia”. There is free entry, so there will only be a limited number of seats – you will have to get in early.

Cultural Tour of Ciudad Vieja (from Plaza Independencia up to the Museo del Carnival)

Take a guided stroll through Ciudad Vieja and check out some of the great architecture

On Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 6pm they will be offering guided walking tours of the Ciudad Vieja. I really love all the architecture in the Ciudad Vieja, so it would be great to get a guided tour where you can learn a little about the history of the buildings.

The Navy in the Montevideo Port (Rambla 25 de Agosto de 1825 s/n)

Saturday and Sunday from 8am to 8pm there will be an exposition of Naval photos. Also, from 10am to 6pm you can jump on board the Navy Ships, see practical demonstrations of Divers check out a Helicopter and other Navy equipment. If the weather permits, there will also be some tours of the Bay (depending also on the availability of the boats), plus a display by the Navy Band. We actually did get to check this one out a couple of years ago, and it was really quite interesting to get on board a Navy ship. There was also a display of Candombe dancers (although, this could have come from across the road at the Museo del Carnaval).

Cafe Brasilero (Ituzaingo 1447)

Saturday and Sunday from 11.30 to 12.30. Live music, singing and dancing, with a trip down Tango “memory lane” starting from the 1910′s. There will also be a display of photos.

Catedral de Montevideo – Iglesia Matriz (Ituzaingo esq Sarandi)

It will be open both Saturday and Sunday, but on Saturday, there will be guided tours of the Cathedral. I have included this one to my list because this is a well known Cathedral in Montevideo, and every church I have been to here (for weddings etc) has been absolutely beautiful inside.

Patrimonial Circuit – CUTCSA

Meet the CUTCSA bus here at the City Gate

On Saturday and Sunday, the bus service CUTCSA will be running tours around different places of interest from 10am to 7pm. There are quite a few spots where you can get on around Montevideo, but my suggestion would be to get on at the Puerta de la Ciudadela (City Gates) at the Plaza de Independencia. The buses will pass by every 12 minutes (or so, remembering you are in Uruguay), and give you a little tour of the city. There is a cost of $17 (pesos) for the bus ticket, but I think this would be well worth while (under US$1 – who can complain??).

Museo Figari (Juan Carlos Gomez 1427)

On Saturday and Sounday from 10am to 5pm there will be theatre performances based on the narrations of Pedro Figari. There will be an exposition – “Del Mar a Figari – Homenaje de Mirta Olivera al pintor de Candombes:” (from the Ocean to Figari – a Tribute to Mirta Olivera painter of Candombe).

Museo de Carnaval (Rambla 25 de Agosto 1825)

This will be open both Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 5pm. I really just love this museum, which features a lot of the history of Carnaval in Uruguay including costumes and masks, so I had to include it!

I hope that list helped you out a little. There is a website (www.patrimoniouruguay.net which is in Spanish) you can go to for ALL the details (now I mean, there really is a lot open, so narrowing it down to 10 really wasn’t fair). Also, if you aren’t in Montevideo, there is something in every department of Uruguay, so don’t miss out!

Hasta pronto!