:''Pocitos is also the colloquial name for the city of

Salvador Mazza Salvador Mazza (June 6, 1886November 9, 1946) was a noted Argentine physician and epidemiologist, best known for his strides in helping control American trypanosomiasis, an endemic disease among the rural, poor majority of early 20th century S ...

, Salta Province, Argentina'' Pocitos is an upscale seaside ''barrio'' of Montevideo,

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 ...

. It borders

Buceo Buceo is a ''barrio'' (neighbourhood or district) in Montevideo, Uruguay. Buceo borders Pocitos and Villa Dolores to the west, Parque Batlle, Unión and Malvín Norte to the north, Malvín to the east and the coastline to the south. Descript ...

to the east,

Parque Batlle Parque Batlle (, ), formerly Parque de los Aliados (''Allied Park''), is a ''barrio'' (neighbourhood or district) and a major public central park in Uruguay's capital city of Montevideo. It is named in honour of José Batlle y Ordóñez, President ...

to the north,

Tres Cruces Tres Cruces is a ''barrio'' (neighbourhood or district) of Uruguay's capital Montevideo. Its name means "three crossings", referring to the three major transportation routes which intersect in the area: Avenida 18 de Julio, Bulevar Artigas and ...

Cordón Cordón is a central ''barrio'' (neighbourhood or district) of Montevideo, Uruguay. Part of the city's central business district, alongside Centro and Ciudad Vieja, the 18 de Julio Avenue that runs through the area is home to commercial spaces, o ...

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� ...

to the west and

Punta Carretas Punta Carretas is a ''barrio'' (neighbourhood or district) of Montevideo, Uruguay. Politically located in the Municipality CH, it is an affluent neighborhood, with a high population density and a large number of high-rise apartment buildings. It i ...

to the south. Pocitos is politically included in the CH Municipality of Montevideo, and located along the banks of the

Rio de la Plata Rio or Río is the Portuguese and Spanish word for "river". The word also exists in Italian, but is largely obsolete and used in a poetical or literary context to mean "stream". Rio, RIO or Río may also refer to: Places United States * Rio, Fl ...

, it is one of the most famous beaches in the city. The neighborhood is an affluent area of the city, characterized by the presence of high-rise apartment buildings facing the Rambla and the main boulevards, together with old neoclassical and eclectic mansions.

History

The neighborhood emerged as a seaside resort in the 19th century, but it was formally inaugurated in 1886, under the name of ''Nuestra Señora de los Pocitos''. The name is due to the habit of washerwomen going to the beach to wash their clothes, for which they made wells () in the clean sand. Initially it was an independent town from the city, but over time it was absorbed with the urban expansion of Montevideo. In 1906, a tram line was inaugurated that connected the Customs House in the

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 32,802 In the 1920s and 1930s it became a residential area, due to the construction of a large number of private residences of European architecture. In 1921 a

multipurpose stadium A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used for multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a design philosophy that stre ...

was built in the area, which was one of the venues of the first

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

held in

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be on J ...

, and site of the first goal in World Cup history. In the following years there was a great real estate development, and by the 1950s, Pocitos already surpassed

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 ...

in number of apartment buildings. Pocitos increased its population to a great extent, ranking as one of the districts with the highest population density and highest real estate prices.

Pocitos Beach

Pocitos Beach is located on the coast of the

Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (; ), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda, Colonia, Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and ...

, an area with waters with a high level of salinity and waves. It is a very crowded beach during the summer season, as it is popular for sports. In the eastern zone stands the Arenas del Plata Stadium, a venue for beach sports for more than 2,500 spectators. The Pocitos Rambla is 2 kilometers long, and on it are yacht clubs and restaurants.

Landmarks

Pocitos is connected to 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 ...

by Spain Boulevard and Brazil Avenue. On them are located a large number of architecturally notable buildings that combine different styles, such as eclecticism and neoclassical. In turn, many embassies are located in the area, in old mansions from the late 19th century and early 20th century. Some buildings declared National Historic Monuments by the

Ministry of Education and Culture A ministry of education and culture is a cabinet position in the governments of several nations. In some nations the ministry of education and the ministry of culture are separate departments; in others, the ministry of education and culture al ...

are concentrated in the district, such as the Iberian-influenced Casa de Felipe Yriart ―a residence designed by the architect Julio Vilamajó―, the

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

Williman House, which was the residence of

Claudio Williman Claudio Wílliman Gonzalez (10 October 1861 in Montevideo – 9 February 1934 in Montevideo) was a Uruguayan political figure. Background Claudio Wílliman's parents, José Williman and Antonia González, were immigrants from Galicia, Spain. Jos ...

who served as the 20th

President of Uruguay The president of Uruguay (), officially known as the president of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (), is the head of state and head of government of Uruguay. The president presides over the Cabinet of Uruguay, Council of Ministers, directing ...

, and Public School No. 17 ―which is called Brazil School―. File:Pocitos, 2017.jpg, Pocitos at night File:Plaza Gomensoro, Pocitos.jpg, Gomensoro Square File:Rambla of Montevideo 14.jpg, Apartment buildings and restaurants along the Rambla File:Museo Naval Montevideo.JPG, Naval Museum of Uruguay File:Embajada de España Avenida Brasil - panoramio (1).jpg, Spanish Embassy File:Embaixada de brasil en uruguay.jpg, Brazilian Embassy

Educational facilities

* Colegio y Liceo Nuestra Señora de Fátima (private,

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 ...

Claretians The Claretians, officially named the Congregation of Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary (; abbreviated CMF), is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men headquartered in Rome. It was f ...

) *

German School of Montevideo Colegio y Liceo Alemán de Montevideo (formal Spanish name). () is one of the most prestigious schools in Uruguay. It was established in 1857 for the children of German traders, artists, engineers and diplomats living in Montevideo. Since the se ...

(private, co-educational) * Yavne School (private, co-educational,

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

)

Places of worship

* Church of St. John the Baptist, popularly known as "Iglesia de Pocitos" (

) *

Church of Our Lady of Fatima Our Lady of Fatima Church, Karachi is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi. It is the only church located in Karachi which has a circular architectural design and is built in accordance with the guidelines provided by the Second Vat ...

(Roman Catholic,

) * Church of St. Alexander and St. Peter Claver (Roman Catholic) *

First Church of Christ, Scientist The First Church of Christ, Scientist is the administrative headquarters and mother church of the Church of Christ, Scientist, also known as the Christian Science church. Christian Science was founded in the 19th century in Lynn, Massachusetts ...

(

Christian Science Christian Science is a set of beliefs and practices which are associated with members of the Church of Christ, Scientist. Adherents are commonly known as Christian Scientists or students of Christian Science, and the church is sometimes in ...

) *

Yavne Yavne () is a city in the Central District (Israel), Central District of Israel. In 2022, it had a population of 56,232. Modern Yavne was established in 1949. It is located near the ruins of the ancient town of Yibna (known also as Jamnia and Jab ...

(

) * Beit JabadBeit Jabad
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Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (; ; ), is a dynasty in Hasidic Judaism. Belonging to the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) branch of Orthodox Judaism, it is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, as well as one of ...

)

References

External links

Intendencia de Montevideo / Useful data / Pocitos

Intendencia de Montevideo / Historia de Pocitos

More information about POCITOS Barrio - GuiaDePocitos.com
{{Authority control Barrios of Montevideo