The Uruguayan town of San José de Mayo, located about 100 kilometers from Montevideo, celebrated on June 1 the 241 years of the founding of San José de Mayo by Asturian families. The dance group ‘Les Madreñes’ from the Casa de Asturias Asturian Center participated in the event, which took place at the Spanish Cultural Institute of San José. At the same time, the Prado Museum exhibition that tours the country at the initiative of the Spanish Embassy was placed in the city’s main square.
The city of San José de Mayo, capital of the homonymous department bordering the Uruguayan capital, was founded by the lieutenant of the Spanish army, Eusebio Vidal, in 1783, who left Montevideo on May 28 with 29 wagons, 204 Indians and about forty families reaching the shores of the San José River where on June 1, 1783 they founded said town.
These families had been destined in the first instance to populate Argentine Patagonia, but they finally founded San José. They were 192 residents from a total of 46 families, almost all of them from Asturias, with the exception of two from Galicia, one from León, another from Andalusia and another from Granada. A year later, seven families from León arrived, among which was that of Benito Pérez, a native of Astorga. The natives of Astorga are known as Astorganos, Asturicenses or Maragatos. This last demonym was the one adopted by the residents of San José who are known as maragatos.
Later, in 1860, the 5th Spanish Association was founded. of Socorros Mutuos, which currently bears the name of the Spanish Cultural Institute (ICE), which with its building inaugurated in 1888 has become one of the oldest institutions in San José.
Currently, the cultural purposes have replaced the original ones of providing health support to the founding members and their families.
This institution also houses the ‘Arañitas’ weaving workshop made up of members of the institution who weave to make garments for those most in need.
The different cultural and recreational activities of the ICE led to honoring the majority of the founding families of the Villa de San José on its 241st anniversary on June 1 at its headquarters.
They did it with a gastronomic festival with ‘bollu preñao’, tapas, ‘freixulos’, rice pudding, while the choir ‘Sonidos de ICE’ and the dance and tambourine group ‘Les Madreñes’ from the Casa de Asturias Asturian Center in Montevideo They were the ones who brought art and plastic to the Maragata day.
Exactly five days later the group ‘Les Madreñes’ celebrated its 31st anniversary with a youth team that makes the Asturians of the Uruguayan capital proud.
During that day, the Prado Museum exhibition that the Spanish Embassy has placed in Uruguayan territory since the end of last year, when it was presented in Montevideo, and which has already toured, was also inaugurated in the Plaza Independencia in San José de Mayo. in addition to the capital, the city of Colonia del Sacramento and now the city that celebrated 241 years of founding. Present at this inauguration were Ambassador Santiago Jiménez, the Mayor of San José, Ana Bentaberri, and the Minister of Education and Culture, Pablo Da Silveira, among other authorities.
