Montevideo was founded by Spanish governor Bruno Mauricio de Zabala.
The city developed after Spain expelled a Portuguese garrison from the site of Montevideo Bay in 1724. Zabala organized the Spanish expedition from Buenos Aires and began populating the strategically important location. Early settlers included families from Buenos Aires and later immigrants from the Canary Islands.
The city was designated San Felipe y Santiago de Montevideo and gradually became known simply as Montevideo. The traditional foundation date is 24 December 1726, recorded in Zabala’s diary, although no single official foundation document survives. Montevideo did not achieve the status of a fully independent city separate from Buenos Aires until 1 January 1730. It later became the capital of Uruguay and an important port on the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires, by contrast, was founded on the opposite side of the estuary.