Cerro de Montevideo
| Cerro de Montevideo | |
|---|---|
View of the Bay and Hill of Montevideo at dusk, ca. 2011. | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 132 m (433 ft) |
| Coordinates | 34°53′18″S 56°15′36″W / 34.88833°S 56.26000°W |
| Naming | |
| English translation | Cerro (Hill in Spanish); Montevideo has a disputed origin[1] |
| Language of name | Spanish |
| Geography | |
Cerro de Montevideo Uruguay | |
| Location | Montevideo Department, Uruguay |
| Parent range | none |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Hill |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Automobile |
Cerro de Montevideo is a hill overlooking the namesake capital city of Uruguay. It constitutes an isolated landform, it is part of no mountain range.
Its notable fortress on top overlooks the Bay of Montevideo, a natural harbour on the coast of the River Plate.[2] Its lighthouse is of tantamount importance for navigation.
History
This hill was discovered by Europeans during the Magellan expedition. There are several theories concerning the name "Montevideo".[1]
In the 1830s a decree established Villa Cosmópolis, afterwards Villa del Cerro, full of immigrants from all over Europe.[3]
Heraldry
In the coat of arms of Uruguay, this hill with its fortress is featured in the upper right corner on a silver background, as a symbol of strength.[4]
Since Spanish colonial times, the city of Montevideo has seen a series of coats of arms which include this hill:
-
First Coat of Arms, 1807.
-
Coat of Arms after the British Invasions, 1808.
-
Coat of Arms as of 1895.
-
Coat of Arms, 1903.
There were also clerics who included this hill in their respective coats of arms:
-
Archbishop Juan Francisco Aragone.
-
Cardinal Daniel Sturla.
References
- ^ a b Ormazábal, Nelson. "El origen de la palabra «Montevideo»" (in Spanish). montevideanos.com. Archived from the original on 13 December 2009. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
- ^ Cortés Arteaga, Mariano (1936). El cerro de Montevideo y su fortaleza ː 1520-1935 (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 May 2018.
- ^ Fernández Saldaña, José María (1967). "La Villa del Cerro". Historias del viejo Montevideo (PDF) (in Spanish). Montevideo: Arca Editorial. pp. 38–41. OCLC 710099. Retrieved 17 July 2008.
- ^ "Símbolos Nacionales". Ministerio del Interior (in Spanish). 18 February 1952. Retrieved 26 August 2025.