History of Montevideo Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bruno Mauricio de Zabala

Buenos Aires lies along the Rio de la Plata and the Portuguese hoped to counteract the Spanish strength in the region by establishing their own colony. They called their settlement Colonia do Sacramento on the opposite side of the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires.

However, the Spanish felt threatened by this despite the Portuguese's largely peaceful presence. Zabala, then Governor of Buenos Aires, established a fort near Colonia do Sacramento and the Portuguese fled their settlement. The city of Montevideo, which means "I see a hill", was founded around the fort.

Answer: Guarani

In the years and decades following the founding of Montevideo (full name San Felipe y Santiago Montevideo) the majority of the population were indigenous Guarani people. Many Guarani in other parts of South America had been enslaved although many in Uruguay had been spared because they converted to Christianity as a means to avoid such a fate. Missionaries and prominent priests in the area fought to urge the Vatican to forbid the enslavement of native people in South America.

By the time of the founding of Montevideo, there were dozens of Guarani missions in the city and Guarani comprised the majority of the population.

Other people in the city were mainly immigrants from the Canary Islands and a few wealthy families from Buenos Aires.

Answer: Rivals

Montevideo and Buenos Aires were in a constant power struggle in the region. The two cities are located in close proximity to each other and each had hoped to be Spain's dominant naval power in the region. Buenos Aires was much larger than Montevideo and was initially the dominant city. Because Montevideo was under constant threat from the Portuguese in Brazil and the city was frequently invaded by them, it made sense to keep the center of naval power in Buenos Aires.

But in 1776, Spain made Montevideo its main port in the South Atlantic which also helped to insult the city from invaders.

Answer: Britain

The Battle of Montevideo was an extension of the Napoleonic Wars that mostly took place in Europe. The British had hoped to conquer the Spanish territories along the Rio de la Plata, having previously been denied territory in that region. On February 3, 1807, General Samuel Auchmuty and his troops invaded Montevideo and eventually captured the city. Both sides saw heavy losses and the Spanish were able to put up a strong defense of the city even once the walls of Montevideo were invaded. However, the Auchmuty and his men were successful and the British held onto Montevideo until September of 1803 when they were forced to hand it over the Spanish having been defeated elsewhere in the region.

Answer: Revolution

The May Revolution started in 1810 as a response to the chaos that ensued in Spain during the Peninsular War. This was the beginning of the Argentine War of Independence that encompassed several present-day South American countries. The Spanish Government moved out of Buenos Aires into Montevideo where there was a large population of Spanish loyalists to the Crown. Argentine forces failed to capture Montevideo in 1811 but later succeeded in 1814 when Admiral William Brown led a successful naval blocked. Uruguay then fell to Brazilian forces until its independence in 1825.

Answer: The New Troy

Uruguayan Independence got off to a rough start and the country almost immediately plunged into a civil war. The two main factions were the Blancos led by Manuel Oribe and the Colorados led by Fructoso Rivera. Oribe and Fructoso had both fought for independence from Brazil and both had been high-ranking commanders under the command of Juan Antonio Lavalleja and Oribe had even been one of the Thirty-Three Orientals, a band of soldiers during the independence fight.

However, Rivera and Oribe became bitter enemies when it was time to decide who should gain power in Montevideo. Each man led a faction of troops who reciprocated attacks in Montevideo. For a short time, there was essentially two governments in the city.

The Colorados initially had seized full control but the Blancos returned to power in the 1850s and held for nearly a century.

Answer: Estadio Centenario

Estadio Centenario was so named because it was completed in 1830 and marked the 100th anniversary of the first Uruguayan Constitution. The 1930 World Cup was one of the first international events for Uruguay. Montevideo had seen a huge influx of European immigrants, largely from wealthy families, into the city and Montevideo quickly became an international hotspot for travel and leisure.

Uruguay won the tournament by defeating Argentina 4-2. Estadio Centenario was the main stadium used for the Games but other stadiums had to be used for a few games because Centenario's construction was not perfectly completed in time, having been delayed for weather reasons.

Answer: Admiral Graf Spee

This incident took place during the Battle of the River Plate in the South Atlantic which was the first naval battle of World War II. Hans Langsdorff was the ship's commander who was forced out of the Rio de la Plata by British and New Zealand forces.

The battle had taken place off the coast of Punta del Este, a Uruguayan seaside town. Langsdorff fled to Montevideo which was neutral during these early stages of the war. He scuttled the Admiral Graf Spee and then committed suicide because he believed he could not escape the British forces chasing him. Parts of the ship were salvaged and displayed (with the Nazi symbols removed or covered) in 2006 while the rest of the ship remains underwater, sometimes still visible.

Answer: Juan Maria Bordaberry

The 1970s were a chaotic time for Uruguay. A series of civil dictatorships began to rule the country. In 1973, the democratically elected president Juan Maria Bordaberry dissolved the Congress and installed military leaders to his Cabinet. In particular, the appointment of Antonio Francese as Defense Minister caused issues and members of the military refused to follow any orders given by Francese.

This led to the military occupying Montevideo's Old City and the Plaza Independencia. Several left-leaning labor organizations went on strike for weeks.

Although Bordaberry was ousted in 1976, the dictatorships continued until the mid 1980s.

Answer: Chile and Argentina

The Act of Montevideo established the guidelines by which Chile and Argentina would mediate their differences over the Beagle Conflict. Chile and Argentina disputed claims over small islands in the Beagle Channel in and around Cape Horn in South America.

The mediations would be led by the Vatican and Pope John Paul II. Ultimately, the Act of Montevideo led to an 1984 agreement between Chile and Argentina which established peaceful relations in the area.