Cerro Chato (, ''Plain Hill'') is a town in central
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 ...
that is divided in three parts belonging to
Durazno Department
Durazno (; ) is a Departments of Uruguay, department of Uruguay. Its capital is Durazno. Its name means ''"peach"'' in Spanish language, Spanish, referring to the department's peaches and its status as an agricultural breadbasket. It is located i ...
,
Florida Department, and
Treinta y Tres Department
Treinta y Tres () is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is Treinta y Tres. It is located in the east of the country, bordering the departments of Cerro Largo to the north, Durazno and Florida to the west, Lavalleja and Rocha to the south, w ...
.
Geography
The town is located along
Route 7, northeast by road from
Valentines and southwest of
Santa Clara de Olimar. It is located close to the source of the
Yí River
The Yí River (Spanish, ''Río Yí'') is a river in Uruguay. The Yí and the Tacuarembó Rivers are the principal tributaries of the Río Negro.
Geography
The Yí River originates in the Cuchilla Grande highlands. It flows generally west throu ...
.
History
The town was founded based on extensive livestock farming in the area. In the 19th century, the area of Cerro Chato was a point of passage for
postilions,
stagecoaches and troops of cattle destined for other regions of Uruguay. In 1908, the national railroad reached the town, which turned it into a point from where cattle could be transported nationwide.
On 8 January 1942, Cerro Chato was declared a "Pueblo" (village) by the Act of Ley Nº 10.112. Its status was elevated to "Villa" (town) by the Act of Ley Nº 13.299 on 17 November 1964.
Plebiscite of Cerro Chato of 1927
In 1927, a non-binding plebiscite took place in Cerro Chato to decide to which department it would belong: Durazno, Florida or Treinta y Tres. For this referendum, every citizen of the town was called to vote, including women. That was the first time in
Latin America
Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...
that
women exercised the right to vote. The Department of Durazno won the plebiscite, but this result was not accepted by the authorities. Therefore, Cerro Chato still is split between the three departments.
Population
According to the 2011 census, Cerro Chato had a total population of 3,227; 1,694 lived in Trenta y Tres, 1,124 lived in Durazno and 409 lived in Florida.
Source: ''Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay''
Economy
The main economic activity of the town is cattle and sheep production due to the quality fields in the area.
The town was to give host to the controversial
Aratirí iron mining project which would have produced 18 million tons of iron per year. However, the project was cancelled in 2016 after widespread ridicule over its impact to local farms.
Places of worship
*
Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish Church (
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 ...
)
References
External links
INE map of Cerro Chato
Populated places in the Treinta y Tres Department
Populated places in the Durazno Department
Populated places in the Florida Department
{{TreintayTres-geo-stub