49 
IV 
URUGUAY 
The first European who set foot on Uru 
guayan soil was the man who discovered the 
Rio de la Plate—Juan Diaz de Solis. This 
was in 1508. He and his associates were im 
mediately attacked by the Charruca Indians, 
who annihilated the party. Later on Portu 
guese settlers from Brazil attempted to colon 
ize this land, but they met with repulses, 
as did also the Spanish colonists who followed 
them. As a result of the invasion of this terri 
tory by Portuguese and Spanish it was claimed 
by both these countries and became a bone of 
contention between them for more than two 
hundred years. The Portuguese colonists 
were finally routed bodily and their city of 
Montevideo, founded in 1724, came under 
control of the Spanish Viceroy. Portugal