Trinidad () is the capital city of Flores in 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 ...

. It has a population of 21,429 (National Census 2011). Formerly it was called ''Santísima Trinidad de los Porongos,'' or simply ''Porongos.'' Its inhabitants are known as trinitarios or also as porongueros because the city is located near the Porongos stream.

Location

Trinidad is located in the central area of Flores department, on ''Cuchilla Porongos'', between the Sarandí and Porongos streams and on the intersection of Route 3 with Route 14.

Geography

The stream Arroyo Sarandí, flows west of the city, while the stream Arroyo Porongos flows east of the city, both tributaries of the river Río Yí. Trinidad occupies an area of on an altitude of above sea level.

History

Initially it was called "Porongos". Even to this day, the inhabitants of the city are referred to as either 'trinitarios' or 'porongueros'. Porongos was founded on 18 July 1805 by General

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 ...

, the

an independence leader. It had acquired the status of "Pueblo" (village) before the Independence of Uruguay. It reached the status of "Villa" (town) under the name "Villa de Porongos". It was renamed to "Villa de la Santísima Trinidad" (Most Holy Trinity) and became capital of the newly created Department of Flores on 30 December 1885 by the Act of Ley Nº 1.854. Its naming reflects a less secular period in the country's history. In July 1903 it was renamed "Trinidad" and its status was elevated to "Ciudad" (city) by the Act of Ley Nº 2.829.

Population

In 2011, Trinidad had a population of 21,429. This makes Trinidad the largest city by far in the department of Flores. Source: ''Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay''

Tourism

A nature reserve with a variety of flora and fauna is situated west of the city, on Route 3. Nearby there are interesting prehistoric sites to visit: the

Palace Cave The Palace Cave ( es, Gruta del Palacio) is located at Flores Department, not far away from Trinidad, Uruguay. History The rocks in which the cave is formed date to the Late Cretaceous and is composed of sandstone, which during the Paleocene. ...

and the

rock paintings In archaeology, rock art is human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type also m ...

Chamangá Chamangá is an area within a rocky terrain in the Flores Department of Uruguay, where a considerable quantity of ancient rock art has survived. The Chamangá River, a tributary of the Yí River, flows nearby. History In recent years there has ...

Places of worship

* Most Holy Trinity Parish Church (

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 lette ...

) * Our Lady of Luján Parish Church (Roman Catholic)

Politics

Following a sizeable meeting in Trinidad in 2007, the 'Vamos Uruguay' grouping within the Colorado Party was founded by

Pedro Bordaberry Juan Pedro Bordaberry Herrán (born 28 April 1960) is a Uruguayan attorney, lecturer and politician, who served as a Senator of the Republic from 2010 to 2020, as Minister of Tourism and Sports from 2003 to 2005, and as Minister of Industry, Ene ...

Herrán, the front-running Presidential candidate of the Colorados for 2009. Following these beginnings in Trinidad, local chapters of the organization were subsequently established in many departments of

Notable people

Chory Castro Gonzalo "Chory" Castro Irizábal (born 14 September 1984) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays for Club Atlético River Plate (Montevideo) as a left winger. He started his career at Nacional, but played mostly in La Liga after arri ...

(born 1984), football player

References

External links

Official site of Flores departmentINE map of Trinidad
{{Authority control Populated places in the Flores Department Populated places established in 1805 1805 establishments in the Spanish Empire