Introducing Mystery Class #3 Montevideo, Uruguay (34.883 S, 56.183 W ) Juan Manuel (aged 12 ), MartVn (aged 10) and Santiago We are 3 brothers, Juan Manuel (age 12 ), Martín (age 10) and Santiago (age 6), from Montevideo, Uruguay. Our Country Map of Uruguay Uruguay is a small country with approximately 3.5 million inhabitants and an area of approximately 187,000 km2, flanked by the two large South American countries, Brazil and Argentina. The population, of European roots, is mostly of Spanish and Italian origin; there are no native indians left, but about 10% of the population descends from the intermarriage between Europeans and native indians or immigrant blacks. Our School We attend the "Jesús María" School, a private bilingual Catholic school, with English as a second language. Although Catholics are predominant, there is religious freedom in Uruguay and religion is not a source of unrest. There is no official religion. Primary, secondary and university education is provided free by the State, but there are also private schools and universities. Our school hours are from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm; we follow the official program, but we can choose among other extra activities such as soccer, art, hockey, music, etc. As we are in the Southern hemisphere, the school year starts in March and ends at the beginning of December, with a short winter holiday in June. During the summer, with average temperatures of 25 °C - 32°C ,we usually spend our holidays by the seaside. The city of Montevideo has nine beaches and the Uruguayan coastline stretches all the way along the estuary and the Atlantic up to the border with Brazil. During the winter season, which is quite temperate with only occasional days of 0°C , we go to our small farm, where we have a skinny and stubborn horse called "Rocinante", named after the horse of the knight Don Quixote. Our City--Montevideo Montevideo, Uruguay The Spanish explorer Juan Díaz de Solis landed near Montevideo in 1515 and was killed by the fierce Charrúa Indians. Montevideo, the capital city, was founded in 1726. The city was built along a bay overlooking a hill, on the estuary of the River Plate. The city owes it name to a Portuguese sailor, who, upon seeing the hill from his galleon exclaimed "Monte vide eu" - "I have seen a mount". A fortress was built on top of this hill by the Spaniards to defend the city from the Portuguese and English pirates; it is now a military museum and offers a good view of the city and river. The River Plate, with an extension of 36,000 km2, is one of the widest rivers in the world, and its waters gradually mix with the sea water, which becomes clearer and clearer the further east one goes. During the 2nd World War, the German battleship Graf Spee was cornered by the British and French navies 3 km away from the harbour, but the German captain preferred to blow up his ship rather than surrender. The Graf Spee's anchor was set up at the entrance of the port area. The Uruguayan coast is lined by a string of small summer resorts; the most important is Punta del Este, 145 km from Sea Lions Montevideo. This is a famous international resort, with beautiful houses and all types of beaches suitable for surf and other sports, a large yacht marina and pine and eucalyptus forests. Within sight distance of Punta del Este is the Lobos Island, one of the world's largest natural reserves of sea lions. Estancias, Gauchos, Facons and Asados Though 80% of the population lives in the capital city, Uruguay is mainly a pastoral country. Eighty percent of our territory is devoted to livestock farming and 90% is suitable for agriculture. The sloped farmland is therefore used for cattle breeding, since the country is a major meat and wool exporter. Other main exports are those derived from agriculture (dairy products, grains, textiles, fruits, wood) and fishing. Our large ranches are called estancias, and consist of large extensions of pasture land, the main house (usually white, in brick or adobe), the shearing or milking sheds, and the sheds for the cowboys, who are known as gauchos. A proud gaucho will usually wear a felt hat, loose breeches, a poncho, leather boots, a wide belt embroidered with silver coins, and an impressive long knife with a silver handle called facón, which he carries in a leather sheath crossed at his back and secured by the belt. Originally, this knife was used for defense purposes, but nowadays, with bloody battles usually restricted to the TV, it is mainly used for picking up and cutting the asado, the meat and entrails barbecue prepared on the ground, as on an open camp fire. There again, every Uruguayan, no matter whether he descends from Italian, Spanish or Lebanese immigrants, enjoys playing "the gaucho" and preparing his own backyard asado on a weekend. Gaucho One of our non-traditional exports is soccer football players! Many of our most famous players have been hired by Europe's most important teams. Our team won twice the Olympic Championship, twice the World Cup, thrice the Intercontinental cup. Therefore, every Uruguayan, no matter age or sex, is a football fan, player or trainer. Another feature which identifies Uruguayans wherever they go is the mate, a tea made of mate leaves -known for its nourishing and refreshing properties- which is prepared inside a small hollowed pumpkin and sipped, quite hot, by means of a straw, usually made of silver. So, our idea of a happy day would be a summer weekend by the beach, with friends and family, playing or listening to football, whilst others prepare the asado, play cards and share their mate in a round. Well, we hope that we have managed to give you a glimpse of what life is like here. It has been great fun sharing the Mystery Class with students and teachers and learning so many interesting things from other people in distant places. Thank you for giving us a chance to participate! Juan Manuel, Martín and Santiago Colegio Jesús María Montevideo, Uruguay. Back to Today's Report Copyright 2001 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form