Casapueblo, Punta Ballena

Casapueblo, Punta Ballena

Plaza Independencia, Montevideo

Plaza Independencia, Montevideo

Hat and gloves, Museo Andes 1972, Montevideo

Hat and gloves, Museo Andes 1972, Montevideo

Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo

Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo

Punta del Este

Punta del Este

La Mano, Punta del Este

La Mano, Punta del Este

Puente Leonel Viera

Puente Leonel Viera

Café Farmacia, Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo

Café Farmacia, Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo

Colonia del Sacramento

Colonia del Sacramento

Piriápolis

Piriápolis

Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo

Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo

Colonia del Sacramento

Colonia del Sacramento

Uruguay

Coast

February 2023 • With two oversize personalities (Brazil and Argentina) at its border, Uruguay has learned to keep its head down, work hard, stay quiet. It’s a great place to visit for similar reasons. Shoulders come down, bags go unwatched, transactions become easier. With just 3 million people, the country's income levels and living standards aren’t as wildly unequal as in Brazil and Argentina. The New York Times Magazine even says Uruguay is a case study in economic and environmental sustainability. For a greater sense of the national character, revisit the story of the Uruguayan rugby players who survived a plane crash in the Andes in 1972. Their 72-day ordeal is operatic, a haunting tale of the human will to live despite impossible circumstances. Those who know the story well are quick to point out: The survivors didn’t just wait to be rescued—they made a hellish decision to avoid starvation, then fashioned hats and gloves out of seat upholstery and hiked down from the mountains to save themselves.

Casapueblo, Punta Ballena

Casapueblo, Punta Ballena

Plaza Independencia, Montevideo

Plaza Independencia, Montevideo

Hat and gloves, Museo Andes 1972, Montevideo

Hat and gloves, Museo Andes 1972, Montevideo

Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo

Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo

Punta del Este

Punta del Este

La Mano, Punta del Este

La Mano, Punta del Este

Puente Leonel Viera

Puente Leonel Viera

Café Farmacia, Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo

Café Farmacia, Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo

Colonia del Sacramento

Colonia del Sacramento

Piriápolis

Piriápolis

Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo

Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo

Colonia del Sacramento

Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo