Barros Blancos is a city in the

Canelones Department The Departamento de Canelones ( es, Departamento de Canelones; ) is one of the 19 uruguayan departments. With an area of and 518,154 inhabitants, it is located in the south of Uruguay. Its capital is Canelones. Geography and climate Neighbour ...

of southern

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

. In 1976, it had been renamed to Juan Antonio Artigas, after commanding officer Juan Antonio Artigas, grandfather of the national hero

José Gervasio Artigas José Gervasio Artigas Arnal (; June 19, 1764 – September 23, 1850) was a political leader, military general, statesman and national hero of Uruguay and the broader Río de la Plata region. He fought in the Latin American wars of in ...

, but the old name was reinstated in 2007. Barros Blancos is also the name of the municipality to which the city belongs and which includes the two fragments of Camino Maldonado and some surrounding rural areas.

Location

The city is located on Route 8, northeast by road from Montevideo, on the road to Pando, also north of

Colonia Nicolich General Seregni (former Colonia Nicolich) is a town in the Canelones Department of southern Uruguay. Colonia Nicolich is also the name of the municipality to which the town belongs and which includes the areas Colinas de Carrasco (Empalme) and V ...

and southwest of Toledo and

Joaquín Suárez Joaquín Luis Miguel Suárez de Rondelo (August 18, 1781 in Canelones – December 26, 1868 in Montevideo) was a Uruguayan political figure. Head of State of Uruguay In December 1828, Suárez served as the first head of state of the territ ...

. It forms a southwestern extension of the urban area of Pando. They all belong to the wider metropolitan area of Montevideo.

History

The land developed, immersed in a large rural area without electricity services, water or telephone. Local economic activity was linked to meat canning, and numerous sawmills, warehouses, brick kilns and barns grew up in the area, The first school in the area was established in 1925, and by the mid-1940s public services became available. Factories, shops, and sports centres and clubs were established. In the mid-twentieth century a population explosion occurred due to the presence of industry which resulted in jobs, with many families buying modest homes in the area. On 15 October 1963, Barros Blancos was elevated to the category of "Villa" (town). On 25 June 1976, Barros Blancos was renamed "Juan Antonio Artigas" in honor of the grandfather of the hero José Gervasio Artigas, by the Act of Ley Nº 14.538. On 13 December 2006, it was declared a city with the same name by the Act of Ley Nº 16.670. However, on 11 June 2007 its name was changed back to "Barros Blancos" by the Act of Ley Nº 18.136.

Places of worship

* Parish Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

)

Population

According to the 2011 census, Barros Blancos had a population of 31,650*. In 2010 the ''Intendencia de Canelones'' had recorded a population of 28,610 for the municipality during the elections. Source: ''Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay'' * Since the 2011 census published no separate population numbers for the 2 fragments of Camino Maldonado, whose population was 15,057 in the census of 2004, it can be safely presumed that the new number published for Barros Blancos has incorporated the population of the two fragments, as can be seen in the maps of INE census.

References

External links

INE map of Barros Blancos (2011)INE map of the (now unified) area during the 2004 census
{{Canelones Department Populated places in the Canelones Department