Minas de Corrales is a town in the

Rivera Department Rivera Department () is a Departments of Uruguay, department of the northern region of Uruguay. It has an area of and a population of 109,300. Its capital is the city of Rivera. It borders Brazil to the north and east, Cerro Largo Department to t ...

of northeastern

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 town is located on the banks of the stream Arroyo Corrales, on the intersection of Route 28 with Route 29, about south of the city of

Rivera Rivera () is the capital of Rivera Department of Uruguay. The border with Brazil joins it with the Brazilian city of Santana do Livramento, which is only a block away from it, at the north end of Route 5 (Uruguay), Route 5. Together, they form an ...

History

In 1878 the mining company ''Compañía Francesa de Minas de Oro del Uruguay'' started looking for gold in the area, giving thus birth to the town. From the end of December 1879 to the start of March 1880 Henry Küss visited Uruguay to evaluate the gold concession on the Arroyo Corrales. The company was looking for at least 8 million francs to develop the mines. Küss undertook a careful survey of the mineralogy. His report was unenthusiastic, saying only that it might be worth spending two or three hundred thousand francs on a more systematic study. In 1902 the railway line was inaugurated, which operated until 1916, when the company ended. On 9 November 1920, it was declared a "Pueblo" (village) by the Act of Ley Nº 7.299, and on 13 December 1994, its status was elevated to "Villa" (town) by the Act of Ley Nº 16.669. In 1997 the mining operations resumed by the company Uruguay Mineral Exploration (UME).

Population

In 2011 Minas de Corrales had a population of 3,788. Source: ''Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay''

Places of worship

* St. John Bosco 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 ...

)

Nearby attractions

About towards the west of the town is the scenic area Rincón de Tres Cerros. Although the whole area is best visible from along the banks of Tacuarembó River, the hills can be approached by a road splitting south from Route 29, after Minas de Corrales.

References

External links

INE map of Minas de CorralesMap showing the mining sites near Minas de Corrales
Populated places in the Rivera Department Geology of Uruguay {{rivera-geo-stub