Uruguay: Fray Bentos
Fray Bentos is the town in the west of Uruguay and on the river border with Argentina, a river port and a former industrial hub. At its heyday in the 19th/20th century Fray Bentos was one of the largest meat processing factories in the world (now a museum – next post). The town definitely benefited from the Industrial revolution and the associated wealth generation – grand mansions, an ornate theater, lovely plazas, and a pretty cathedral – all somewhat dusty but still pretty impressive. Fray Bentos is very pleasant to explore, although the town itself feels a bit on its last breath, with only about 10k people living here from the high of over 100k.
