Mercado del Puerto

The market was the initiative of the Spanish merchant Pedro Sáenz de Zumarán, whose company set out to build one of the largest markets in South America. The English engineer R. H. Mesures oversaw the casting of the iron structure at a Liverpool foundry and then came to Montevideo to direct its assembly, and after three years of work it was inaugurated on 10 October 1868 in the presence of President Lorenzo Batlle. It began as a wholesale market for fruit, vegetables and meat, supplying ships in the bay and local households; in 1897 its central iron fountain was replaced by the clock that still stands there.

Over the twentieth century the market declined, and from the 1970s its produce stalls gradually gave way to restaurants and souvenir shops. It was declared a National Historic Monument in 1976. Bar Roldós, opened inside the market in 1888, is credited with inventing medio y medio, a blend of sweet sparkling wine and dry white wine that is still a local favourite.

The market is as much a local institution as a tourist sight. On the last afternoon of the year crowds gather around it to eat, dance and celebrate, often drenching one another in cider, and graduating students, especially in medicine, come here to celebrate in the same way. On Saturdays, during the Ciudad Vieja cultural walk, musicians, singers and sketch artists liven up the hall and the surrounding streets.