Hernando Arias de Saavedra, the first Spanish…

Hernando Arias de Saavedra, the first Spanish governor of the Rio de la Plata region, discovers the rich pastures and introduces the first cattle and horses into the region of present Uruguay in 1603.

Early colonizers are disappointed to find no gold or silver, but well-irrigated pastures in the area contribute to the quick reproduction of cattle—a different kind of wealth.

English and Portuguese inhabitants of the region, however, initiate an indiscriminate slaughter of cattle to obtain leather.

During the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, the Charrua learn the art of horsemanship from the Spaniards in adjacent areas, strengthening their ability to resist subjugation.

The natives are eventually subdued by the large influx of Argentines and Brazilians pursuing the herds of cattle and horses.

Never exceeding ten thousand in number in eighteenth-century Uruguay, the natives also lack any economic significance to the Europeans because they usually do not produce for trade.

As a result of genocide, imported disease, and even intermarriage, the number of natives rapidly diminishes, and by 1850 the pureblooded native will have virtually ceased to exist in Uruguay.