Trinidad (Uruguay)

Trinidad is a Uruguayan city, capital of the department of Flores. It has a population of 21,429 inhabitants (National Census 2011). Formerly it was called Santísima Trinidad de los Porongos, or simply Porongos. Its inhabitants are known as porongueros, because the city is located near the Porongos stream, or as Trinitarians.

Location

The city of Trinidad is located in the central area of the department of Flores, on Cuchilla Porongos, between the Sarandí and Porongos streams and at the crossroads of national routes 3, 14 and 57.

History

There are controversies about the origin of the city and its founders. The investigations carried out by Fernando Gutiérrez affirm that at the beginning of the 19th century, two characters played an important role in the emergence of Porongos, they were Francisco Fondar (or Jondar) and Fray Manuel de Ubeda (or Weda). Previously, during the 18th century, the need to colonize the eastern campaign had arisen, due to the danger of clandestine penetration from the unprotected borders. The territory currently occupied by the department of Flores belonged from the second half of the XVIII century to two landowners: Francisco Alzáibar and Manuel Ignacio de la Cuadra. At the beginning of the oriental revolution of 1811, two thirds of the territory was owned by the Cuadra-Durán succession and one third by the Solsona-Alzáibar succession.

The emergence of Porongos was given by the permanent struggle between the proletariat represented by Francisco Fondar and the latifundista de Cuadra, who opposed the formation of the town.

In 1801, more than seventy inhabitants of the area, led by Francisco Fondar, requested permission from the Viceroy for the construction of a chapel that would be located west of the Porongos stream. That request was accepted by the viceroy, despite the opposition of the landowner de la Cuadra. At the beginning of 1802 the requested authorization was granted, and on February 1 of that year, Fray Manuel de Ubeda received the address of the chapel. Five months after the temple was inaugurated, Fondar requested authorization to erect a town around the chapel, but this request was denied. After de Cuadra died, the widow Inés Durán decided to end the dispute, donating a league and a half square of land in favor of Fray Manuel de Ubeda, which was granted to him on April 14, 1804, so that, by means of the authorities, these lands were distributed among the neighbors and anyone who wanted to populate the place. The town that arose like this was called Porongos, since a wild, bitter gourd with an oblong shape abounded in the area and was called that.

The inhabitants of the then village of Porongos participated in the eastern revolution of 1811, both in the Las Piedras meeting and in the October exodus. But in addition, its people supported the counterrevolutionary occupation; and his immediate release was ordered by Artigas. Many years later, on July 22, 1830, the inhabitants of the town of La Santísima Trinidad took a public oath to the State Constitution in the center of the Plaza Constitución.

At the middle of the 19th century, the town had made little progress, its population holding steady at between 500 and 600 inhabitants, located in a livestock area. On December 30, 1885, the town became the capital of the department of Flores when Law 1854 was passed, which created said department.

After one hundred years of its foundation, its inhabitants met in an assembly to set the date for the town's centenary celebration, since the birth of the town was the consequence of a process with ups and downs, so there was no exact date for its foundation. Said assembly, meeting in August 1902, at the 25 de Mayo Club, approved the initiative to set an intermediate date between the years 1802 and 1803, choosing January 1803. However, the scheduled celebrations were prevented by the political events of the moment; and the initiative of the deputy for the department of Flores, Mr. Antonio G. Gasa, who was included in Law No. 2829 of July 1903, which stated "from July 18, 1904, date of the first centenary of the foundation of the town of Trinidad, capital of the department of Flores, declare it a city, with all the consequent prerogatives to that rank.

Population evolution

The city of Trinidad currently has 21,429 inhabitants according to the 2011 census. Its population has not experienced significant increases in the last 20 years, which leads to population stagnation, given emigration, mainly from bands ranging from 20-29 years to other cities.

Economy

South entrance to the city, along Route 3, where the silos plant stands out.

The main economic activities of the city are the industry linked to the agricultural sector and services. Regarding the industry, the following stand out:

• Lanas Trinidad: is the main production and exporting company of peinated wool in tops of the country. Its products are exported to the main markets of the world. In the industrial plant, which is located in the city of Trinidad, the processes of washing and combing are carried out.
• The Trinity: is located two km from the city, it is dedicated to the work of bovines and sheep and is also one of the plants authorized by the MGAP to make ñandúes.

As for the service sector, it is characterized by being small and is basically aimed at meeting the demands of the city's population. The sector of commerce, restaurants and hotels is also very limited.

Related to the agricultural activity of the department, the Unión Rural de Flores (URF) stands out, which has its headquarters in the city of Trinidad. Its beginnings were fundamentally linked to the commercialization of livestock products such as wool, leather and grains. In 1974, the Trinidad Silo Plant was inaugurated; Due to its characteristics, it was the first to be built in Uruguay, with a storage capacity of 15,500 tons (currently expanded to 23,900 tons). Since its inception, the plant was managed by URF and is currently owned by it.

Services

Education

The city of Trinidad has 13 public schools and 3 private schools in terms of primary education. As regards secondary education, there are two public high schools in the city, three private ones and a technical school (UTU). In reference to tertiary education, there is the Teacher Training Institute of Trinidad.

Health

The city has a public hospital dependent on ASSE, the Hospital «Dr. Edison Camacho»; and with a sanatorium belonging to the medical cooperative COMEFLO (Cooperativa Médica de Flores).

Monument to Mother. Located in Trinidad, Flores, Uruguay

Transportation

Interdepartmental bus service

The city is connected with several neighboring cities and with Montevideo through regular bus services. The Terminal is under construction, so each company has its agency in different parts of the city. Among the interdepartmental bus services, those with the following destinations: Montevideo and Paysandú, provided by the companies Agencia Central, Chadre, Núñez and COPAY; Peach and Cologne provided by Nossar; Salto, operated by Agencia Central, Chadre, Núñez and El Norteño; and Bella Unión provided by the company El Norteño.

Roads

The city is connected by four national routes:

• Route 3: connects the city of Trinidad with the cities of San José and Montevideo (South), and with the cities of Paysandú, Salto and Bella Unión (north).
• Route 14: connects to the city with Mercedes (to the west) and Durazno (to the east).
• Route 57: unites Trinidad with the city of Cardona (Southwest).
• Route 23: the road is born from Route 3, 4 km south of the city, and it links it with the town of Ismael Cortinas.

Places of interest

Dr. Fernando Gutiérrez Departmental Historical Museum

Old train station of the city, today Historical Departmental Museum.

The Dr. Fernando Gutiérrez Departmental Historical Museum is located in the old train station building, close to Centennial Park, it has four exhibition rooms located on the ground floor. The building was built in 1916 by the North American company The Pan American Trans – Continental Railway Company, its architecture reflects the eclecticism of its time, with influences from French classicism and modernist currents from the beginning of the century XX.

Constitution Square

It is the main square of the city, framed by Santísima Trinidad, Fray Ubeda, Francisco Fondar and Luis Alberto de Herrera streets. In its surroundings are the Church of the Holy Trinity, the headquarters of the Departmental Administration, the Departmental Board, the Police Headquarters, as well as different headquarters and branches of both public and private institutions.

Dr. Tálice Reserve

Access to the Tagus Reserve.

The Dr. Rodolfo Tálice Flora and Fauna Reserve is located near the city of Trinidad, 3 km from it along Route 3. It has an area of 65 hectares, with more than 100 different species of native fauna. Being one of the main tourist attractions in the area.

The Lake

About sixty kilometers north of the city, on the Negro River, is "El Lago", named after its inhabitants, it is a tourist destination mainly in the summer, where the Festival Del Lago, "Andresito le Canta al País", in January receives folk singers from different parts of Uruguay and also from abroad. Many visitors come to the department, the place has spaces for camping, it has barbecues, a beautiful hostel, and rainwater pools where people can bathe.

Centennial Park

Centenary Park.

The idea of the Centennial Park arose in 1929, when the departmental deputy Alberto C. Rodríguez and the president of the Departmental Council of Flores, Dr. Justo R. Calcinardi, presented before the Representative Assembly, a project that included, among other works, the construction of a park that would be called "Centennial", in the framework of the celebration of the 100 years of the oath of the first Constitution that would take place in 1930.

The Representative Assembly approved on June 14, 1929 Decree No. 334, which in its article 5, provided financial resources for the acquisition of the so-called "Quinta de Ladeuix", which was immediately used as a public park, and received the name of "Centennial Park". The owner of the property was Luis Ladeuix. At that time, several football clubs had their playing fields there. On August 16, 1929, the property was released to the public and the park was officially inaugurated on August 25, 1930, within the framework of the celebrations of the anniversary of the declaration of Independence. On the day of the inauguration, a soccer match was held between the local team and Sud América de Montevideo, in the Guillermo Rodríguez Park (the Porongos field), located within the Park's property, and then the inaugural act of the Centennial Park.

Ituzaingó Race Course

The Ituzaingó Hippodrome, located at kilometer 187 of Route 3, 1 km from the city of Trinidad, was reopened on March 23, 2003. The remodeling included grandstands, restrooms, ticket booths, fence, one hundred stables and new track.

Cave paintings and paleontological sites

In the vicinity of Trinidad there are two sites of exceptional note due to their historical interest:

• the Palace Grotto, which dates from the Higher Cretaceous period;
• the cave paintings of Chamangá.

Both have been the subject of numerous studies and are currently protected.

Media

The city has six radio stations, one of which broadcasts in AM and the remaining five in FM, and an analog and digital TV channel (TNU repeater).

• CX 156 1560 kHz AM «American Blur»
• CX 209C 89.7 MHz FM «Radio Five»
• CXC 232C 94.3 MHz FM «El Camino» (community)
• CX 245 96.9 MHz FM «Uruguay National Radiodifusion» (non-operational)
• CX 263 100.5 MHz FM «Planetacien»
• CX 296 107.1 MHz «FM Sur»

• CXB-2 (C) Channel 5 (channel 2 VHF)
• Channel 5 (channel 30 UHF) Digital Terrestrial Television

In terms of written press, it has the newspaper «Ecos Regionales».

In Trinidad there are 2 subscriber TV systems: TRINIDAD VIDEO CABLE and TELESHOW. Each of them has a channel with local production.

Twinned cities

• Dajla, refugee camps in the province of Tinduf, Algeria, Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic

Gallery

Fco Street. Fondar of Trinidad

Zoo of the Future

Flag of Flowers at the entrance of Trinidad