Built by the Spanish in 1734, and three years later, in 1737, taken by the Portuguese who gave it its definitive design. The Fuerte San Miguel, was reconquered by the Spanish in 1763, although its military importance declined notoriously shortly afterwards. Testimony of colonial history, it was declared national historical monument in 1937.
Behind its drawbridge, today a historical collection is kept and the environments where Spanish and Portuguese occupants lived are reproduced.
To visit and know
The Fuerte San Miguel, is part of the San Miguel National Park, which occupies some 1,500 hectares of the department of Rocha, and is part of the National System of Protected Areas (SNAP for its Spanish acronym). A place that invites you to immerse yourself in the history and enjoy nature at a very calm pace.
The Museum of Military History of the Fort keeps uniforms and military garments, awards and decorations, all kinds of weapons, as well as replicas of utensils and equipment from the colonial period.
Nearby there is a historic cemetery and the Criollo museum in which a diligence of 1816 and a cart of 1880 are exhibited. In addition a traditional mud and straw rancho(small house), and a reproduction of an old pulpería (grocery store)
In the surroundings you can walk through the neighboring hills, a few meters from the fort, is Cerro Picudo. An elevation of 100 m high, which allows climbing to the top crossing a marked path. From there it is possible to enjoy a panorama of great diversity, which includes the Laguna Merín, the zigzag arroyo San Miguel, the town of 18 de Julio, Chuy, rice crops favored by the existence of large marshes and theFortaleza de Santa Teresa.
How to get there?
On the Cerro San Miguel -San Miguel hill, it is located on route 19 - 7 kilometers west of Chuy, a city bordering Brazil, and 6 kilometers from Laguna Merín.
Visiting hours and cost
- High season (from December to March 1st): everyday from 10 am to 6 pm.
- Low season (rest of the year): everyday from 10 am to 6 pm
- The cost is 50 Uruguayan pesos per person, under 12 and over 65 enter for free. It can only be paid with Uruguayan pesos
Contact info
Phone: +598 4474 6541
