General Jose Artigas

Uruguay flag

Currently the smallest independent state in South America, the territory of Uruguay was discovered in 1512 by Juan Diaz de Solis, a Spanish navigator from the Kingdom of Castille, who on a second visit to the shores of the Rio de la Plata in 1516, was slain by indigenous tribes.

This region east of the Uruguay river, known as Banda Oriental, was colonized mainly by the Spanish Crown. The struggle for independence began in 1811 as José Gervasio Artigas, a captain of the Blandengues Corps, lead his army to one of the most important victories against the Spaniards in the battle of Las Piedras on May 18, 1811.

In 1816 Portuguese troops invaded the Banda Oriental from Brazil. Artigas was eventually defeated and in 1821 the Banda Oriental was annexed by Brazil as a separate province called Provincia Cisplatina.

Oath of the 33 Orientales to the Uruguayan Republic, following their beachhead landing at Playa de la Agraciada, April 19, 1825.

The 33 Orientales flag

Four years later, on April 19, 1825 thirty-three exiles at Buenos Aires returned to Uruguay lead by Juan Antonio Lavalleja and with the help of Argentine troops organized an insurrection. They were to be known as the Treinta y Tres (33) Orientales. Their actions inspired a group of representatives from the Banda Oriental who on August 25, 1825 met in La Florida, a town in the liberated area, and declared Uruguay's independence from the Portuguese Empire.

With British mediation, and after three years of struggle, Uruguay's independence was recognized by both the Argentine and Brazil in the Treaty of Montevideo, August 27, 1828.

INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION
FLORIDA, August 25, 2006 – Members of the Blandengues Corps stand at attention at Piedra Alta, the site near the city of Florida where in 1825 Uruguay's independence was declared. Right: Uruguayan Defense Minister Azucena Berrutti, Vice President Rodolfo Nin Novoa, President Tabare Vazquez and Supreme Court Justice Hipolito Rodriguez Caorsi applaud during ceremonies commemorating the event. U.S. Chargé D'Affaires James Nealon attended the celebration.

Updated: August 28, 2006

 
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