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Montevideo and Its Trees

One of the Greenest Cities in the Americas

The sun sets behind Cerro de Montevideo, seen from my daughter’s window, while the sidewalk trees fill the foreground. The photo is mine.

Montevideo is celebrating its 300th anniversary. Its name is linked to the hill (monte), and its historical importance has always stemmed from the excellent natural harbor of its bay.

I live in the Prado neighborhood. A few days ago, we went to my daughter’s house, about a ten-minute drive away. The route is so familiar that I had never noticed how tree-lined it is. There was green foliage along the avenue and the side streets. And that leafy reality is repeated throughout almost the entire city.

What happened to me was precisely what Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, described so well: “The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.”

A City Beneath Green Shade

It is estimated that Montevideo’s sidewalks host more than 300,000 trees, not including those in parks. That means we have roughly one tree for every four people walking its streets.

Among the most common species in our city are the chinaberry tree, which provides generous shade…