Rocha Department

Rocha is one of the nineteen departments that make up the Oriental Republic of Uruguay. Its capital is the homonymous Rocha.

It is located in the central east of the country, bordered to the north by Treinta y Tres, to the east by the Merín Lagoon and the Federative Republic of Brazil, to the southeast by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the west by Lavalleja and Maldonado.

It forms part of what is known as the crystalline peneplain, in its interior, and of the eastern plains, along the coastal strip.

History

Before the conquest by the Spanish and later by the Portuguese, native peoples inhabited this territory. The Indian hills are testimony to this. On the eve of the arrival of the Spanish, the Guenoa Nation (Charrúas) populated the territory. With the arrival of the European colonizers, the bovines brought by them multiplied in the plains like maroons. From the XVIII century they began to gain relevance for their leather, which attracted smugglers and laborers, later called “ gauderios” and “changadores” who hunted them in the so-called dairy farms. Among them was Luis de Rocha, from whom the name of the department and its capital derive.

Near the Cebollatí River, a kind of "republic" fortified gaucha of smugglers led by canaries who came in 1724 from the Canary Islands to re-found Montevideo. Most of the canaries came from Tenerife, nicknamed Guanches or Guanchos; This name is, according to some, the origin of the name "Gaucho". In general, the exiled Canarians, smugglers, vagabonds, fugitives, who were far from the cities had children with the Guenoa, Minuanes, Gés Indians or with the African women who managed to escape from Montevideo. These sons were called by the Portuguese of the city of San Carlos as Gahuchos, Gaúchos or Gauchos (Guanchos), a word that appears on August 8, 1780 in a document originating in Montevideo. In it he expresses... "that the aforementioned Díaz will not consent to the sheltering of any smugglers, vagabonds or idlers here known as Gauchos in said stay." (August 8, 1780). In that year the gauchos had a precarious self-government and their own to defend themselves against the Spanish and Portuguese, having organized groups allied to the Charrúas (Guenoas and Minuanes) to which were added 1795 and 1800 groups of fugitive Africans belonging to the Bantu Nation (Kingdoms of Benguela, Kongo and Ngola (Angola).

In 1763 the city of San Carlos was founded, the only town in the world founded by Portuguese from the Azores Islands. Supporting the foundation with 15 residents of Maldonado in 1755.

Nuestra Señora de los Remedios de Rocha (currently Rocha), the capital of the department, was founded in 1793 by families from Galicia and Asturias, following the instructions of Viceroy Nicolás de Arredondo and the work of the Minister of the Royal Treasury of the Port from Maldonado, Rafael Perez del Puerto. This fact occurs after Galician families with Asturians founded the Villa de la Concepción de las Minas in 1783.

At that time these cities were part of the Department of Maldonado in 1816 until 1880. Former region of the Guenoas and Minuanes before the European invasion.

The department of Rocha was created later by law of July 7, 1880 and the separation of the department of Maldonado, of which it was a part along with Lavalleja, was made effective on August 1, 1881.

In the middle of the 18th century, it represented a land highly prized by the Portuguese, who settled in the Campaña del Chuy and tried to exceed the limits that the Treaty of Madrid established between the Spanish and Lusitanian dependencies on the Eastern Band.

Geography

Rocha extends along 180 km of oceanic coastline, characterized by its cold and salty beaches, its white sands, its rocky areas, and its deep and steep shores. This differentiates it from other departments in Uruguay such as Colonia, San José, Montevideo, Canelones and part of Maldonado, which belong to the Río de la Plata estuary.

Orography

South beach of Cabo Polonio.

The department has large alluvial plains and marshes, many of which are somewhat turbid, and a vast complexity of larger lakes and lagoons. Hills such as Alférez, San Miguel among others, contrast for their rustic finishes with the simplicity of the estuaries, such as Bañados de las Maravillas, San Miguel, India Muerta, among others. Coming from the Carapé mountain chain, the Averías and Carbonera blades penetrate its territory, culminating in the picturesque elevations of Bella Vista and La Blanqueada. We also find the Ajos and Rochas mountains, next to the Vigía and Áspero hills. The Rochense coastline is made up of extensive beaches often accompanied by boulders subjected to erosion by strong sea currents that often punish the departmental coast and, on occasions, represent a danger to bathers. Sandy areas such as Cabo de Santa María, Cabo Polonio, Valizas, Punta del Diablo and La Pedrera, among others, fit the description. Some small islets such as the Islas de Torres, Verde, or La Coronilla are frequent at distances that are not far from the shoreline.

Sand dunes in Valizas.

Hydrography

The Atlantic basin is separated from the Merín lagoon, by means of the Carbonera blade, which is bathed by the Cebollatí River, where the Aiguá and Alférez streams pour their waters into western Rocha. The San Miguel stream marks the natural limit with the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, while the San Luis river flows, after receiving its tributaries from India Muerta and other marshes, on the Merín lagoon, related in turn to the lagoons de Garzón, Castillos, Rocha, Negra (or de Difuntos), among others. As for the Atlantic Ocean, it does not receive practically any stream, with the exception of the Valizas and the Chuy stream.

Climate

Rocha has a temperate, humid and rainy climate, highly influenced by the sea. As a curious fact, a significant accumulation of snowfall was recorded in 1991, although it is not the only case in departmental history. Frosts, as in the whole country, are frequent, especially in winter. Its low and steep coast makes drainage difficult, which is why vast areas of lagoons usually appear, as well as small oases among the dunes of the center-north.

Flora and Fauna

Ombú tree.

Near the inland marshes, and the sweet coastal ones, a series of grasslands and rushes emerge to a certain extent that are used to harvest rice.

The animal species that inhabit its surroundings are generally wild birds, calves, capybaras, bats, porcupines, rattlesnakes, lizards, hares, rabbits, goats, etc. Finally, already over the ocean, you can see sea bass, hake, stingray fish, jellyfish (or live water), sea lions, sharks and, during the winter months (July to September), you can hardly see the appearance of penguins and of some whales, many of which lose their way and perish on the coast.

Protected areas

The department has several protected areas, some of which are part of the National System of Protected Areas of Uruguay (SNAP). These areas correspond to various characteristic landscapes of the eastern zone of Uruguay, including marshes, sandy beaches, rocky coastlines, dunes, native forest, small wetlands, islands, among others. They house a wide diversity of important animal and plant species. The landscapes protected under various laws and decrees are: the San Miguel Flora and Fauna Reserve National Park, the Potrerillo de Santa Teresa Biological Station, the Laguna de Castillos Fauna Refuge, the Cabo Polonio National Park, the Cerro Verde area and Islas de la Coronilla, the Laguna de Rocha and finally the Laguna Garzón, on the border with the department of Maldonado. in terms of diversity, it is of cultural historical importance.

The Rochense economy is eminently cattle raising, as in almost all the rest of the country. Cattle and sheep breeding and the sale of cattle are their main activity. However, fishing represents another large income of capital, and is practiced throughout the department, with greater emphasis on ocean resorts such as La Paloma, La Pedrera, San Francisco, La Aguada, etc.

There are also deposits of copper, lignite and marble in the Carapé blade.

In terms of agriculture, cereals, tobacco, tomatoes, corn, vegetables and fruits are produced. The commercialization of wool, leather and alcohol are also preponderant in the area.

On the other hand, a great attraction of this department is tourism. Rocha has numerous spas on the Atlantic Ocean: La Paloma, Costa Azul, La Pedrera, Valizas, Aguas Dulces, Cabo Polonio, La Esmeralda, Punta del Diablo, La Coronilla, Barra del Chuy. Also in the interior of the department, the areas of the marshes constitute a paradise for fans of bird watching.

For years there has been insistent talk at an official level about the possible construction of an ocean port on the coast of Rocha.

Communications

The relative proximity of Rocha to the national capital, and its situation halfway between Brazil and Uruguay, make it a department that is highly traveled by both Brazilians and Argentines and Uruguayans. It is easily accessed via Route 9, which begins in Canelones, or by following the Interbalnearia Route from Avenida Italia in Montevideo to the east. Those who do it from the neighboring Rio Grande, enter National Route 9 after crossing the Uruguayan-Brazilian border of Chuy (or Chuí, in Portuguese).

In addition to route 9, there are others that connect to Rocha at an interdepartmental level. These are routes 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 19, 91 and 109.

The city of Rocha also has a national airport, the Aeroclub de Rocha.

The Sudriers-Rocha railway has been closed since 2002 and Rocha-La Paloma since 1988, although there are projects for its reconstruction and reopening related to the installation of a deep-water port in the department.

Government

In accordance with article 262 of the Constitution of the Republic, in matters of departmental administration "the Government and Administration of the Departments, with the exception of public security services, will be exercised by a Board Departmental and a Mayor. They will have their headquarters in the capital of each department and will begin their functions sixty days after their election." In addition, "the Mayor, with the agreement of the Departmental Board, may delegate to the local authorities the exercise of certain tasks in their respective territorial constituencies"(...).

Executive

The Intendancy is the executive body of the department. The Mayor is directly elected with four substitutes, for a period of five years with the possibility of re-election.

Legislative

The legislature is exercised by a Departmental Board made up of 31 councilors, with three alternates, who accompany the electoral lists and are elected democratically. The councilors are in charge of proposing municipal reforms, decrees and taxes, as well as any another project that they deem convenient to coordinate with the Mayor. These fulfill the function of the Legislative Branch at the departmental level.

Municipalities

Municipalities of the department of Rocha: 1) Castles, 2) Chuy, 3)La Paloma, 4) Lascano.

Through Law No. 18653 of March 15, 2010, 4 municipalities were created in the department of Rocha. Its limits were determined through Decree No. 5/10 of the Departmental Board of this department.

The municipalities created are:

• Chuy
• Castles
• Lascano
• The Paloma

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, there were 68,088 people and 46,071 households in the department. The average household was 1.48, and for every 100 women there were a total of 95.4 men. According to estimates by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) of Uruguay, the situation is worrisome given that while other coastal departments are slightly increasing their population, Rocha is tending, on the contrary, to decrease it. This is perhaps because compared to other sectors of the country, this is still a corner in the development phase and in which both public health and cultural and/or social options are scarce.

• Population growth rate: -0.028% (2004)
• Birth rate: 14,34 births/1,000 persons (2004)
• Mortality rate: 10,63 casualties/1,000
• Average age: 34.0 (32.8 men, 35.0 women)
• Life expectancy at birth (2004):

• Average number of children per family: 2,18 children/woman
• Per capita urban income (city of 5000 or more inhabitants): 4,229.4 Uruguayan pesos/months

Population growth (in inhabitants):

• 1908: 34.119
• 1963: 55.097
• 1975: 60.258
• 1985: 66.601
• 1996: 70.292
• 2004: 68.752

Censuses prior to 1860 are analyzed jointly with those of the department of Maldonado, from which Rocha was created.

Main urban centers

Within the most inhabited cities we find: Castillos, a tourist location surrounded by beautiful palm trees; Lascano and Chuy, the latter being a city bordering on Brazil, from which it is separated by an avenue that it shares with its sister from Rio Grande do Sul, Chuí. Its main tourist attractions are made up of: La Paloma, city and spa port par excellence; Punta del Diablo, Cabo Polonio, La Coronilla, La Pedrera and La Barra del Chuy. Finally, Rocha has two national historical parks, which are the Santa Teresa Fortress (former military base in colonial times) and the San Miguel Fort.

The following is a discrimination of the population of the department, according to the 2011 census:

La Paloma spa, Rocha.

Valizas bar, Rocha.

Cabo Polonio, Rocha.

Chuy bar, Rocha.

Other towns

Towns or spas with fewer inhabitants:

• Barrancas
• Rocha Pearl
• Costa Rica
• San Remo
• Florida
• Atlantean
• San Bernardo
• San Francisco
• Mar del Plata
• Antoniopolis
• Lomas
• Anaconda
• The Garzas
• Santa Rita
• Costa Bonita
• The Caracol
• The Caracola