CASA RIVERA - MUSEO HISTÓRICO NACIONAL

This museum is dedicated to the preservation of historical objects and documents of Uruguay. The construction of this huge house dates back to the beginning of the ^19th century. Its first owner was Don Cristóbal de Salvañach, a wealthy merchant of the city. The house was later sold to the independentist general Fructuoso Rivera, the first constitutional president, in 1834. Later, in 1853, another merchant bought the residence and added an upper level and an octagonal gazebo. On October 12, 1942, it was converted into the National Historical Museum (which also includes the Casa de Lavalleja and the Casa Giuseppe Garibaldi) and in 1975 it was named a national historical monument. On the second floor there are paintings by Pedro Alonso and a panoramic painting of Montevideo in the ^18th century by Leonie Matthis. Old books on democracy and constitutional reform are displayed, among Spanish card games, mate cups and century-old pistols. A room dedicated to the duelo caballeresco (the duel of the knights) addresses the complexity of this regulated practice where citizens defended their honor and reputation through violence. In the third room, a huge painting evokes a decisive historical scene, when the Spanish captain José de Posadas, defeated by José Gervasio Artigas and his army, handed over his sword to the victorious independence troops. This is a work originally done by Juan Luis Blanes, which was interrupted by his death in 1895 and continued by his father, who also left it unfinished when he died in 1901. Note that some elements of the painting, such as the captain's hands and a combatant's bandage, were not completed by the painters. Opposite is a portrait of Bernardina Fragoso de Rivera, first lady of Uruguay from 1830 to 1834 and wife of the first president. Beware: some of the museum's guards claim to have seen her pass by during their nightly rounds... Also on the second floor, a room dedicated to the hero of Uruguayan independence, José Gervasio Artigas, exhibits landscapes of theExodo del Pueblo Oriental as well as his portraits before and after his exile to Paraguay. The fourth room highlights the progressive values of the Uruguayan population of the ^19th century, in the face of the Church, education and slavery, among other things. Finally, the last room contains paintings of important figures of independence, antique furniture, a painting by the famous painter Juan Manuel Blanes (1830-1901) showing Independence Day, August 25, 1825, and the official coat of arms of Uruguay (a scale symbolizing equality and justice; the Cerro de Montevideo, symbolizing strength; a horse evoking freedom; an ox representing abundance). Then, climbing the magnificent spiral staircase, you will arrive in a large room dedicated to the military man Fructuoso Rivera, first president of Uruguay from 1830 to 1834, and founder of the Partido Colorado. A little further on, a section on the War of the Triple Alliance allows you to learn more about the conflicts that took place between 1864 and 1870, pitting the empire of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay against Paraguay. Finally, the last section of the museum displays a series of geographical maps, the oldest of which date back to 1586.