Melo, Uruguay

Melo is the capital city of the Cerro Largo Department of north-eastern Uruguay. It is located at the centre of the department, on the intersection of Route 7 with Route 8, south of Aceguá and the border with Brazil. Other primary roads to the city are Route 26 and Route 44. The stream Arroyo Conventos (a tributary of Tacuarí River) flows by the west limits of the city. The status of Melo was elevated to "City" category on 22 May 1895 by decree Ley No. 2.3279.

History

It was founded on June 27, 1795 by Agustín de la Rosa, an officer to the Spanish Empire.

Given its proximity to some Portuguese colonies in Brazil, the "Melo Village" (in Spanish, "Villa de Melo"), as it was once named, it was invaded by Portuguese forces in 1801, 1811, and 1816. With Uruguayan independence, Melo was officially declared capital of the department of Cerro Largo.

In 1845, the city square was renamed in honor of Manuel Oribe, a former President of Uruguay and a political leader of the White Party (Partido Blanco), which brought to light the relations of this corner of the country with that National Movement (the vast majority of its inhabitants have belonged to that same political community).

The historian J.C. Chasteen has discussed the place of Melo in the history of Uruguay in his book "Heroes on Horseback: A Life and Times of the Last Gaucho Caudillos".John Charles Chasteen, 'Heroes on...
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