Punta del Este

Spaniards were the first Europeans to reach the area in the early 16th century, and in 1827, during the Cisplatine War, a small Brazilian garrison on the peninsula held out against a three-day attack led by Juan Antonio Lavalleja. At the end of the 19th century the coast was little more than sand and dunes; in 1896 Antonio Lussich bought 1,800 hectares near Punta Ballena and began planting the trees of what became the Arboretum Lussich. Punta del Este was declared a village in 1907 and a city in 1957.

The resort's fortunes rose and fell with regional politics and economics. The 1970s brought a drop in Argentine visitors, while the 1980s saw a construction boom in apartment towers, spas and hotels. The city has hosted the 1967 American summit attended by Lyndon Johnson, the launch of the Uruguay Round of trade talks in 1986, legs of the Whitbread round-the-world yacht race between 1985 and 1994, and Formula E races in 2014, 2015 and 2018.

Punta del Este is a city of seasons: a small resident community for most of the year and a crowd of Argentine, Brazilian and Uruguayan holidaymakers between Christmas and carnival. The craft fair on Plaza Artigas, on Gorlero between Calles 23 and 25, gathers local artisans and painters. Food leans towards the sea, with fish and seafood alongside Uruguayan staples such as chivito steak sandwiches and asado, and the city's cultural life includes film and music festivals and, nearby, the Pablo Atchugarry Foundation's sculpture park and summer programme.