Faro

Lighthouse Here we are! Welcome to one of the most iconic and magical corners of all of Colonia del Sacramento: the Colonia Lighthouse. If you look around, you will see that this place is no ordinary postcard. We are not just facing a tower that illuminates the river, but rather we are facing an authentic dialogue between two eras that embrace each other. A trip to its history. To understand where we stand, we have to travel back in time to the 17th century. The stone structures you see surrounding the base are the ruins of the Convent of San Francisco Javier, built by the Portuguese and later destroyed by a raging fire. Years passed and navigation along the Río de la Plata became increasingly challenging. Therefore, in January 1857, it was decided to erect this lighthouse to guide sailors. What was fascinating was its design: instead of demolishing the remains of the convent or building from scratch on one side, the engineers took advantage of one of the old square towers of the church as a foundation. For that reason, if you look closely, the structure begins with a prismatic stone base and then transforms into the classic white cylindrical tower. The lighthouse in the present. Today, more than 160 years after its inauguration, the lighthouse continues to fulfill its mission under the custody of the National Navy. At 26 meters high, it projects a red light that reaches almost 8 nautical miles (about 14…

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