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The origin of the name is
geographic, the East Point of the bay of Maldonado. Nevertheless,
Juan Diaz de Solis, in 1516, gave the first name of Cabo de Santa
Maria and Rio de Santa Maria to the Rio de la Plata...
maps from century XVI to century XVII it was denominated Cabo de
Santa Maria and although from the expedition of Gaboto the river
was called "de la Plata", the rocky end to his entrance was still
called: "Santa Maria". Just in century XVIII begins to be
denominated Punta del Este having forgotten the one of Santa
From aims of century XVIII existed a battery,
the San Fernando in the southwestern end of the peninsula, in
front of the Boca Chica, with the corresponding quarter of guard
and powder magazine. It was constructed between 1765 and 1766 and
reformed in 1780, it was the first construction raised by the man
in the peninsula...
In 1820, there were farms with sailors and
employees of Francisco Aguilar, concessionaire of the operation
of the Isla de Lobos (Sea Lion's Island), dedicated to the task of the
the transfer of leathers and the oil from the island to the port
and from there to Maldonado in carts...
In 1827 the Brazilians occupy the peninsula
taking advantage of the miss protection caused by the invasion of
Rio Grande, where most of the combatant troops of the region were
transferred for the war, that culminated with the Battle of
Ituzaingó. They build a redoubt of artillery, that in addition of
the possession of the Gorriti Island, allows them to use of the
Port of Maldonado, vital to maintain the sea communications from
Brazil to Montevideo. This gives rise to violent combats which
causes its abandonment...
In 1829, already being an independent country,
Francisco Aguilar and the Council of Administration of the
department, propose the creation of a town in the peninsula,
theater of the described combats, denominating it Ituzaingó, in
memory of the greater battle in number of contenders that got rid
in our history, between the Brazilian imperial forces and the
republicans of the United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata the 20
of February of 1827, in the course of the War of Independence
1825-1828, in which Maldonado participated with a Division...
economic difficulties of the new country and the interminable
civil wars prevented the necessary stability for the
establishment of a population in this zone of difficult ground
communication lines due to the sand dunes that surrounded it...
During the decade of the 30's it would
practically remain desert with a single used construction, of the
State, in the port for guard, although land denunciations and
divisions on the part of citizens of Maldonado had taken place,
the always present Aguilar, Alvarez de Bengochea, Coit, Susviela,
Formoso (most of them administrative authorities)...
In the heat of Great War, in 1843, the
Government of the Defense, presided by Joaquin Suárez, sells by
45,000 pesos of silver the peninsula to Samuel and Alexander
Lafone. The sale included the Gorriti Island and conditioned the
land division and establishment of a population in the Punta,
yielding to the State the two third parts of each block...