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Theculture ofUruguay is diverse since the nation's population is one of multicultural origins. Modern Uruguayan culture and lifestyle are heavily influenced by European traditions, due to the contributions of large numbers ofimmigrants who arrived in the country from the 19th century onwards, especially fromItaly andSpain.
From the year 1858 to 1950 large waves of European immigrants began arriving to Uruguay, with the majority of the immigrants coming fromItaly. Minor European immigrant groups –French,Germans,Swiss,Russians,Jews, andArmenians, among others – also migrated to Uruguay. Uruguay has century-old remains and fortresses of the colonial era. Its cities have a rich architectural heritage, and a number of writers, artists, and musicians.Carnaval andcandombe are the most important examples of African influence by slaves, as well asUmbanda religious beliefs and practices.Guarani traditions can be seen in the national drink,mate.
Well-known Uruguayan painters include realists such asJuan Manuel Blanes, constructivists such asJoaquín Torres García, nativists likeCarlos María Herrera, post-impressionists such asPedro Figari andFelipe Seade, abstract artists such asCarlos Páez Vilaró, and numerous others.
Well-known sculptors include realistsPablo Atchugarry,José Belloni, andJosé Luis Zorrilla de San Martín, as well as contemporary sculptors such asJuan José Calandria,Águeda Dicancro, Hugo Nantes,Claudio Silveira Silva,Mariví Ugolino, andCarlos Páez Vilaró, who created an internationally renowned "livable sculpture",Casapueblo.
Due to European migration, new forms of art and design started to enter during the formation of Uruguay. Many buildings in Uruguay are European influenced, for example, thePalacio Salvo was designed byItalian architectMario Palanti.
Many well recognized architects around the world are Uruguayan. Some famous Uruguayan architects includeJuan Antonio Scasso,Juan Giuria,Leopoldo Artucio,Eladio Dieste, andCarlos Ott.
Rafael Viñoly is a Uruguayan architect known for his most recognized project being the432 Park Avenue inNew York City. The building stands at 1,396 feet (425.5 m) with 96 floors, making it thetallest residential building in the world. He is also credited for designing other buildings such as theTokyo International Forum,Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, and Uruguay's international airportCarrasco International Airport.
Among the several peoples who settled Uruguay and formed the backbone of its society must be highlightedSpaniards andItalians, together with somedescendants of African slaves. While Spaniards being the greatest contributor to other South American countries, Italians are arguably the greatest contributor to Uruguay. There are also significant minorities: Armenians, Austrians, Basque, Britons, Bulgarians, Croats, French, Germans, Greeks, Roma, Hungarians, Irish, Scots, Jews, Lebanese, Lithuanians, Poles, Russians, Slovaks,Slovenes, Swiss, and Ukrainians. There are very small Asian communities, mainly fromChina,Japan andKorea.[1]
Spanish is the de factonational language, and is virtually spoken by the entire population.[2] The standard language isUruguayan Spanish, which is a variant ofRioplatense Spanish.[3] This variant is known in theHispanosphere for its markedItalian influence in its intonation and vocabulary.[4] Additionally,lunfardo argot is widely used among the population.[5]
TheUruguayan Portuguese orfronteiriço—a set of varieties of Portuguese—are spoken in the northeast of the country, where cultural exchanges occur between communities on both sides of theborder.[6] Minority languages in Uruguay include Italian,French,German,Hebrew, and otherEuropean languages, which are present in the country due to the significant waves of migration from Europe.English is the most widespread foreign language among the Uruguayan people.[7]
Since 2001,Uruguayan Sign Language is an official language.[8]
Uruguayan gestures are mostly adopted fromSouthern European culture, with hand gestures and tones being all used commonly throughout the country. A gesture that is only specifically used in Argentina and Uruguay is males kissing other males on the cheek, sometimes both cheeks, as a way of greeting. For the rest of Latin America, kissing on cheek as a form of greeting is mostly towards a male and female, or a female to another female.
Uruguayan humour has been present for over 200 years. Written humour has been developed by notable writers. Later on, during the civic-military dictatorship, satirical magazines such asEl dedo andGuambia were notable vehicles for expressing dissatisfaction.[9]
Modern media have been crucial in its development. The television programmeTelecataplúm made history both in Uruguay and Argentina, followed byDecalegrón.
Currently the radio figureOrlando Petinatti leads the radio programmeMalos Pensamientos.
Uruguayans enjoy music such astango,folk, andwaltz as well as local forms such ascandombe,milonga andmurga. Both tango and candombe have been recognized byUNESCO asIntangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Uruguay's annualCarnival is a major event with many unique features distinguishing it from those of its neighbours.Rock,jazz,pop and other international genres also enjoy great popularity in Uruguay.
The first Uruguayan motion picture is "Carrera de bicicletas en el velódromo de Arroyo Seco". The film was directed by Félix Oliver, the pioneer of cinematography in Uruguay. The best reviewed Uruguayan movie is the 2004 film,Whisky. Directed byJuan Pablo Rebella andPablo Stoll, with a starring cast of Andrés Pazos,Mirella Pascual, and Jorge Bolani, it was well-received by film critics.
Roughly 1/3 of Uruguayan adults smoketobacco, according to Uruguayan research groups.[10] On March 1, 2006, a law went into effect banning smoking in all enclosed public spaces in Uruguay, including restaurants and bars, among the toughest smoking bans worldwide and the strictest in Latin America. The penalty for businesses that allow smoking is a fine of roughly US $1,100 or a three-day closure. One opinion poll found that 70% of smokers supported the ban.[11] Current President of Uruguay in that year,Tabaré Vázquez, was a medic doctor specializing incancer treatment.
One of Uruguay's most famous works ofliterature isAriel byJosé Enrique Rodó (1871–1917). Written in 1900, the book deals with the need to maintainspiritual values while pursuing material and technical progress.Florencio Sánchez (1875–1910) wroteplays about social problems that are still performed today.Juan Zorrilla de San Martín (1855–1931) wrote epicpoems aboutUruguayan history (notablyTabaré).Juana de Ibarbourou (1895–1979) andDelmira Agustini (1866–1914) were also notable poets.
TheGeneración del 45 (Generation of '45) were of group of writers, mainly from Uruguay, who were famously known to have an influence on literature and culture of the region. Well-known writers belonged to this group such asMario Benedetti,Amanda Berenguer,Juan Carlos Onetti, Mauricio Müller,Humberto Megget,Armonía Somers,Idea Vilariño,Emir Rodríguez Monegal,Carlos Maggi,Zenobia Camprubí and among others.
Since 1919, church and state have been separated, and the constitution, as revised in 1966, guarantees religious freedom. The largest religion in Uruguay are theRoman Catholics, making about 66% of the population. Most Uruguayans baptize their children and marry in churches, but don't attend church that often. There is an estimated amount of 20,000Jews in Uruguay, making it one of the largest Jewish communities in South America and in the world. Most Jews in Uruguay areSephardi Jews, followed byAshkenazim,Mizrahim, andItalkim. During European migration to South America, manyGerman Jews andItalian Jews migrated to Uruguay. There are also severalEvangelicalProtestant groups, making 2% of the Uruguayan population.Macumba andUmbanda, religions ofAfro-Brazilian origin, are currently thefastest-growing religions in Uruguay. There are a few Christian missionary organizations in Uruguay, such as Serve the City (Run by Matthew Daniels). There is also a number ofJehovah's Witnesses, with 11,825 publishers and 156 congregations located within the country.
Uruguayans consume a large amount ofbeef,[12] primarily at gatherings known in the continent as theasado. Theparrillada (beef platter),chivito (a substantial steak sandwich), andpasta are the national dishes. Uruguayan cuisine is greatly influenced byItalian cuisine, due to the large number of immigrants who arrived in the country in the 19th and 20th centuries.[13]
Other Uruguayan dishes includemorcilla dulce (a type ofblood sausage cooked with groundorange fruit, orange peel, andwalnuts) andmilanesa (avealbreaded cutlet similar to the GermanWienerschnitzel). Snacks includeolímpicos (club sandwiches),húngaras (spicy sausage in ahot dog roll), andmasas surtidas (bite-sized pastries). Typical drinks includemate,tea,clericó (a mixture of white wine and fruit juice), andmedio y medio (part sparkling wine and part white wine).
Plantings ofTannat (also known in Uruguay asHarriague) have been increasing in Uruguay each year as that country'swine industry develops, and the country is considered the second most notable Tannat region afterMadiran, France. The Tannat wines produced here are characterized by more elegant and softer tannins andblackberry fruit notes.Vineyards in Uruguay have begun to distinguish between the "old vines" that are descendants from the originalcuttings brought over from Europe and the newclones being produced today. The newer vines tend to produce more powerful wines with a higheralcohol level, but less acidity and complex fruit characteristics. Somewineries utilize both vines to make blends.[14] Now the wines typically spend about 20 months in oak prior to release.[15] Today it is often blended withPinot noir andMerlot, and is made in a variety of styles including those reminiscent ofPort andBeaujolais.
Sports in Uruguay have been a key element to the culture since the nation's independence.
Football (Spanish:fútbol) is the most popular sport in Uruguay. Uruguay has won an Olympic gold medal in 1924, and another one in 1928, which were considered the most important tournaments in football, before theFIFA World Cup began in 1930, hence the four stars on the Uruguayan jersey. The first World Cup, which Uruguay won,[16] was held in1930 inMontevideo. TheEstadio Centenario was built for the World Cup, and serves to this day as the country's main football stadium.
Uruguay also won the World Cup in1950, beatingBrazil inRio de Janeiro at theEstádio do Maracanã. The event has had astounding impacts on the history of the sport, due to Brazil being a heavily favoured team at that time, and is also known as theMaracanazo.
Uruguay has the second mostCopa América titles, the most important football tournament in the South American region. Uruguay currently has 15 titles to their name, the most recent being the2011 Copa América hosted by Argentina.
Uruguay has two major clubs,Peñarol andClub Nacional de Football, which both have won major tournaments both nationally and internationally. Peñarol has won theUruguayan Primera División a total of 49 times, while Nacional have won the division 46 times. Peñarol has won theCopa Libertadores, the most prestigious club tournament in South America, 5 times and Nacional have won 3 times. Both teams have won theIntercontinental Cup a total of 3 times (which is the present dayFIFA Club World Cup). In September 2009, Peñarol was chosen as theSouth American Club of the Century by theIFFHS.
Uruguayans are internationally known in the football world and have produced some of the biggest names of the sport. Some names include:
Other popular sports in Uruguay includeathletics,auto racing,basketball,boxing,cycling,field hockey,fishing,golf,handball,mountaineering,padel tennis,polo,roller hockey,rowing,rugby union,sailing,skiing,swimming,tennis, andvolleyball.