6 Best Sights in El Prado, Montevideo

Known locally as the Blanes Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts is housed in an elegant colonial mansion that once belonged to Uruguay's foremost 19th-century painter, Juan Manuel Blanes. He was entirely self-taught, and did not begin painting until he was in his fifties. His realistic portrayals of gauchos and the Uruguayan countryside compose the core of the museum's collection.

The question still pains Uruguayans who remember the era: How did South America's strongest democracy dissolve into 12 years of brutal military dictatorship? This museum documents the history of the 1973–85 period that people here call simply the dictadura, during which an astounding 2% of the population experienced arrest for "political crimes" at some time or other. (The government did not begin investigating abuses by the military government until 2011.) The museum won't be a stop on most visitors' Montevideo itineraries, but if you're a student of Latin American history and politics, it's worth a look.

"Other countries have their history," Helenio Herrera, Uruguay's most famous soccer coach once said. "We have our fútbol." Indeed, fútbol—that's "soccer" to U.S. readers—is played anywhere there's space, by kids of all ages. Uruguay both hosted and won the first World Cup competition in 1930 here at the Estadio Centenario. In the pits of the stadium is this museum (the AUF) dedicated to the country's soccer heritage. It's worth a detour if you're a big fan of the sport.

Almost 50 different types of native marble were used in the construction of the Legislative Palace, the seat of Uruguay's bicameral legislature. Free Spanish- and English-language tours are available when the congress is in session; passes are available inside at the information desk.

The oldest of the city's parks is also one of the most popular. Locals come to see El Rosedal, the rose garden with more than 800 different varieties, and the fine botanical garden. Also in the 262-acre park, you'll find the statue called La Diligencia, by sculptor José Belloni.

Too tiny to require flying buttresses, the ornately Gothic Holy Family Church, also known as Capilla Jackson, is complete in all other respects. A troop of gargoyles peers down at you from this Jesuit house of worship, and the finely wrought stained-glass windows become radiant when backlit by the sun.