With a sunny day and thousands of people visiting all the cities of the country, the first day of Heritage Day was celebrated yesterday, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of the actress China Zorrilla.
This is the 28th edition. The first was in 1994. At first it was only one day, then it was extended to two and this year to three, since Friday night was added. On this occasion, a conversation was held in the Adela Reta Auditorium between figures from the culture of Uruguay and Argentina, where anecdotes and memories of China Zorrilla were shared. The opening act of the celebration was yesterday morning at the Zorrilla Museum and was attended by national authorities.
During this weekend there are more than 500 places to visit and 1,500 activities, such as conferences, talks, debates, shows, artistic interventions, tribute acts, open workshops, dynamics for children, inaugurations, presentations, guided tours, free tours, walks, parades in public spaces.
The Minister of Education and Culture, Pablo Da Silveira, said that the date “became something traditional among Uruguayans. We are close to 30 years without interruption, which include two occasions in the Covid-19 pandemic, in which it was organized and complied with, respecting all sanitary restrictions. About the personality chosen for this edition, China Zorrilla, maintained that both she and her family made contributions to the national culture, but that her impact and her career are not understood if everything she did is not included. in Argentina.
“It is a characteristic not only of her. Very often, figures that we recognize as idols or that Argentines recognize as idols are from the River Plate. That speaks of a common history built from both shores that has generated fantastic things, like tango, for example, which is the most universal thing that came out of the Río de la Plata”, he alluded.
“It is being the longest celebration since it exists, from Friday night to Sunday night. Able that it is the beginning of a trend to start on Fridays, to have three days under the name that we maintain as a tradition, which is Heritage Day”, said the hierarch. The official closing will take place today in Maldonado. In 2021 it was in Santa Lucía (Canelones).
Yesterday, Minister da Silveira and the Director General of the Heritage Commission, William Rey, were received as part of a tour of the city by Foreign Minister Francisco Bustillo, at Casa Pérsico, current headquarters of the Diplomatic Academy of the Republic.
Da Silveira also visited Julio Vilamajó’s family home, which he described as “a jewel of Uruguayan architecture with global projection.” He was accompanied by the dean of architecture at UdelaR, Marcelo Danza. The Minister was also present at the Tile Museum of the Municipality of Montevideo and the workshop of the sculptor José Luis Zorrilla de San Martín.
National Party activities
In the House of the National Party (Juan Carlos Gómez 1384), a ceremony was held yesterday on the occasion of Heritage Day. In the morning hours the National Anthem was performed by the Soprano Luz de Alba Rubio. Later, the Director of Culture of the Ministry of Culture, Mariana Weinstein, the Director General Pablo Landoni, the President of Sodre, Adela Dubra and relatives of China Zorrilla spoke about the meaning of this day. Today there will be a talk about the Zorrilla inspired by the play “Applaud me” by its author Writer Diego Fischer.
Knowing more about UTE and Antel
The Telecommunications Tower Complex carried out a series of activities yesterday and will continue today. Level 26 of the Joaquín Torres García building can be accessed by the panoramic elevator. Films starring “China” Zorrilla will be screened at the Mario Benedetti Auditorium. At 10:30 am “Waiting for the float”, at 1:30 pm “Elsa and Fred” and at 4:00 pm “Waiting for the float”. There will also be interactive activities with 3D glasses, photographs with the Qatar 2022 World Cup mascot and company information in the Idea Vilariño room. In the different areas you can see the murals of the students of the Torres García Workshop. UTE has several activities in its offices in the interior. You can tour the facilities of the Punta del Tigre-Colonia Wilson Combined Cycle Power Plant, San José from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Constitución hydroelectric plant – Paso Palmar- Soriano, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The Rincón del Bonete Hydroelectric Power Plant in Tacuarembó from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and the Baygorria Hydroelectric Power Plant in Durazno from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The Pyrenees building
The Judiciary also participated in the celebrations yesterday. The Piria Palace, seat of the Supreme Court of Justice, will also be open to visitors today. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and every hour there are guided tours. The construction of the building that today houses the Supreme Court of Justice was ordered by the prosperous businessman Francisco Piria in 1917. It exhibits an architectural style that is part of historicist eclecticism. It was declared a national historic monument in 1975.
The first floor of the Palacio Piria was formerly the sumptuous reception floor of the home of Francisco Piria (1847-1933), which has been preserved intact because no structural modifications have been made there, except for minor adaptations for its current use.
Delicate restoration tasks were recently completed on the wooden floors of the second level.
