Castillos is a small city in the
Rocha Department
Rocha () is a department in the east of Uruguay. Its capital is the city of Rocha. It borders Maldonado Department to its west, Lavalleja Department to its northwest, Treinta y Tres Department to its north, while to its northeast Laguna Merí ...
of southeastern
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 ...
.
Geography
The city is located on the junction of
Route 9 with Route 16, about northeast of the city of
Rocha. Other settlements in the area include
Barrio Torres, about one kilometre southeast of Castillo,
La Esmeralda, several kilometres to the northeast and
Aguas Dulces
Aguas Dulces is a resort in the Rocha Department of southeastern Uruguay.
Location
The resort is located at the east end (on Km. 277.5) of Route 10 and the south end of Route 16, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, about southeast of Castillo ...
several kilometres to the southeast along the Route 16.
Castillo is located in the eastern part of the department of Rocha. The land is low lying, located not far from the coast, with an average altitude of 44 metres.
Laguna de Castillos is located to the southwest of the city, while north of it is the
Cerro de los Rocha.
History
It was founded on 19 April 1866 under the name "San Vicente de Castillos", derived from the chapel ''San Vicente Mártir de Castillos''. On 3 May 1909, its status was elevated to "Villa" (town) by decree Ley N° 3.453,
[ and on 3 November 1952, to "Ciudad" (city) by decree Ley N° 11.875.
]
Population
In 2011 Castillos had a population of 7,541.
Source: ''Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay''
Landmarks
The main plaza of the town is called Plaza Artigas and there is a cemetery in the southeast of town near the junction of Routes 9 and 16. Most of the streets are named after prominent dates in Uruguayan history and heroic figures, e.g. 25 de Mayo and General Rivera.
Government
As of 2011, the local mayor is Raúl Servetto.
Places of worship
* Parish Church of Mary Help of Christians and St. Vincent Martyr (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 letter ...
)
Notable people
* Irineu Riet Correa, politician
* Nelson "Pindingo" Pereyra, musician
* Jesús Perdomo, historian
References
External links
INE map of Castillos and Barrio Torres
{{Authority control
Populated places in the Rocha Department