barrio
''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city delimited by functional (e.g. residential, comm ...
'' (neighbourhood or district) of
Montevideo
Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
,
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 ...
. Part of the city's
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...
, alongside
Centro
Centro may refer to:
Places Brazil
*Centro, Santa Maria, a neighborhood in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
* Centro, Porto Alegre, a neighborhood of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
* Centro (Duque de Caxias), a neighborhood of Du ...
and
Ciudad Vieja
Ciudad Vieja () is a town and municipality in the Guatemalan Departments of Guatemala, department of Sacatepéquez. According to the 2018 census, the town has a population of 32,80218 de Julio Avenue that runs through the area is home to commercial spaces, office buildings, entertainment venues, and educational centers.
History
Cordón was the first neighborhood to be created outside the walls of the old Citadel of Montevideo. In its origins it was known as "''El Cardal''", because
thistle
Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterized by leaves with sharp spikes on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles can also occur all over the planton the stem and on the flat parts of the leaves. T ...
s () grew in the fields dedicated to the cultivation of corn. It was a large vacant lot that extended to the other side of the wall, behind the "''Ejidos''", that is, after the area of open land that was used for the defense of the Citadel.
In 1765 the
Spanish Crown
The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country.
The Spanish ...
ordered Bartolomé Mitre Martínez to delineate approximately 60 blocks for population. The area to the east of the demarcation was called "''Cordón''", from which the name of the neighborhood comes, because the land marking work was carried out using laces (). In January 1807 the entire area was the scene of the Battle of Cardal in the framework of the second British invasion of the River Plate.
In 1892, the once English Cemetery located between 18 de Julio Avenue and Ejido, Santiago de Chile and Soriano streets was replaced by a parade ground, which in the 1950s became Montevideo City Hall, the current seat of the municipal government.
Geography
Cordón is located to the east of
Centro
Centro may refer to:
Places Brazil
*Centro, Santa Maria, a neighborhood in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
* Centro, Porto Alegre, a neighborhood of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
* Centro (Duque de Caxias), a neighborhood of Du ...
, so it is part of the
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...
Palermo
Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...
and
Parque Rodó
Parque Rodó is both a ''barrio'' (neighbourhood or district) of Montevideo, Uruguay and a park which lies mostly outside the limits of the barrio itself and belongs to Punta Carretas. The name "Rodó" has been given in memory of José Enrique Rod� ...
.
Landmarks
On 18 de Julio Avenue is the Plaza de los Treinta y Tres, commonly known as ''Plaza de los Bomberos'', because the Centennial Fire Department is located in front of it. In the square there is a monument to the
Thirty-Three Orientals
The ''Treinta y Tres Orientales'' (English: Thirty-Three Orientals or Thirty-Three Easterners) was a revolutionary group led by Juan Antonio Lavalleja and Manuel Oribe against the Empire of Brazil. Their actions culminated in the foundation of m ...
, copy of a painting by national painter Juan Manuel Blanes on painted ceramic tiles, a bronze mounted statue of
Juan Antonio Lavalleja
Juan Antonio Lavalleja y de la Torre (June 24, 1784 – October 22, 1853) was an Uruguayan Libertadores, libertador, revolutionary, military general, and political figure. He was born in Minas, Uruguay, Minas, in a region now named after him ...
, the monument to a fireman holding a baby, as well as a bronze statue of
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein (14 March 187918 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence f ...
discussing with the Uruguayan philosopher Carlos Vaz Ferreira, both seated on a bench.
Cordón is home to different buildings of architectural importance, such as the
National Library
A national library is a library established by a government as a country's preeminent repository of information. Unlike public library, public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, ...
Since the mid-2010s, the area of the neighborhood with its epicenter on Bulevar España between Eduardo Acevedo and Pablo de María streets, has been the location of numerous breweries, bars, boutique restaurants, cafes, and nightclubs, as well as clothing stores and design. It was called Cordon Soho, in reference to the famous
SoHo
SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...
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 ...
,
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...
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 ...
There are some important places of worship at this neighbourhood:
* Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, popularly known as "Iglesia del Cordón" (Roman Catholic)
* Church of the Sacred Heart, popularly known as "El Seminario" (Roman Catholic,
Jesuits
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
Dominicans
Dominicans () also known as Quisqueyans () are an ethnic group, ethno-nationality, national people, a people of shared ancestry and culture, who have ancestral roots in the Dominican Republic.
The Dominican ethnic group was born out of a fusio ...
)
Cultural references
* The 2014 novel ''Cordón Soho'' by Natalia Mardero is set in this neighbourhood.