Castillos is a small city in the
Rocha Department
Rocha () is a Departments of Uruguay, department in the east of Uruguay. Its capital is the city of Rocha, Uruguay, Rocha. It borders Maldonado Department to its west, Lavalleja Department to its northwest, Treinta y Tres Department to its north, ...
of southeastern
Uruguay
Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of 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 the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
.
Geography
The city is located on the junction of
Route 9 with Route 16, about northeast of the city of
Rocha Rocha may refer to:
* Rocha (surname), a Portuguese surname
* Rocha, Moca, Puerto Rico, a barrio in the municipality of Moca, Puerto Rico
* Rocha, Rio de Janeiro, a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
* Rocha, Uruguay, capital city of the R ...
. 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.
Geography
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
Laguna de Castillos is an important water body in the Rocha Department of Uruguay. It is located south of Castillos and northeast of Rocha. It is considered an important wildlife refuge and bird sanctuary.
References
Castillos
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
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
)
Notable people
* Irineu Riet Correa, politician
* Nelson "Pindingo" Pereyra, musician
* Jesús Perdomo
Jesus ( AD 30 or 33) was a Jewish preacher and religious leader who most Christians believe to be the incarnation of God and Muslims believe was a prophet.
Jesus may also refer to:
People
Religious figures
* Elymas Bar-Jesus, a Jew in the ''Act ...
, historian
References
External links
INE map of Castillos and Barrio Torres
{{Authority control
Populated places in the Rocha Department