CAROYA ESTANCIA

The first rural settlement to be established by the Society of Jesus, which bought the property in 1616. In 1661 it was taken over by the founder of the Montserrat College Ignacio Duarte y Quirós, who turned it into farmland. Corn, wheat, fruit, wine and honey are produced here. Ignacio Duarte y Quirós was able to feed all the students of his school. In addition, the buildings are used to house the children during the summer.

When the War of Independence broke out, the army of the North manufactured weapons there (the Caroya estancia was in fact the first centre for the manufacture of edged weapons in the country), between 1814 and 1816. When the estancia passed into the hands of the national government in 1876, in the midst of a policy to promote European immigration, Italian migrants from Friuli were settled here.
The large central patio gives the whole place its character, as do the two large palm trees. Don't fail to smell (in season) the heady aroma of the orange trees, one of the trees even allows itself a small incursion into the baroque world of the unusual: it seems that some branches give life to lemons! The ten rooms that can be visited contain period objects and furniture; the armoury displays a Remington 1879, a Charleville 1850, as well as swords and sabres from the revolutionary period. The visit is particularly enjoyable.

Since 2014, the site has joined the list of other estancias in the region classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.