Uruguay

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●3 Country Background

History

The first Europeans to settle in Uruguay were the Portuguese, who founded the town of Colonia in 1680. The Spanish established a fort at Montevideo in 1726, and the two groups fought for control of the area. Portugal ceded its claim to Uruguay in 1777. When Napoleon conquered Spain in 1808, Buenos Aires (in Argentina) declared itself in command of the viceroyalty of Río de la Plata, which included Uruguay. However, the Uruguayans had no desire to submit to Argentine domination.

José Gervasio Artigas, a captain of Spanish forces in the interior of Uruguay, gathered an army and fought Buenos Aires for control of the area. His efforts, lasting from 1810 to 1814, came to be known as Uruguay’s war of independence. Neither Spain nor Argentina was ever to regain control of Uruguay, and Artigas is now revered as the father of his country.

However, Uruguay still had to defend its independence. The country was occupied by Brazilian troops in 1820; Artigas and many others were forced to flee. But in 1825, some thirty-three exiles—immortalized as the “33 Orientals” or “33 patriots”—returned and led Uruguay in a successful revolt. Uruguay had established itself as an independent country.

The first Uruguayan Constitution was signed on July 18, 1830; the main downtown avenue in Montevideo is named for this date.

Uruguay developed into one of the most stable and wealthiest nations on the continent. Its political stability earned it the nickname “the Switzerland of South America.”

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Negotiating

●The pace of business negotiations in Latin America is moderate to slow—much slower than that in the United States. However, many executives are accustomed to the business techniques of their major trading partners. Some younger Uruguayans will adapt to the negotiating style of their foreign counterparts, speeding up or slowing down in accordance with the foreigner’s traditions.

●Most Uruguayan executives will be experienced and sophisticated; they may well have studied overseas.

●Most successful Uruguayan executives put in a very long workday.

●Uruguay is a nation of immigrants. While many of the businesspeople you encounter will be of Spanish descent, others will be German, Italian, or Jewish.

●Although many executives speak English, check beforehand as to whether or not you will need an interpreter.

●All printed material you hand out should be translated into Spanish. This goes for everything from business cards to brochures.

●Uruguayans are great sports fans. Talking about sports is always a good way to open a conversation. Football (which is called fútbol here, and soccer in the United States) is the most popular sport. (U.S.-style football is fútbol Americano.) Basketball is increasingly popular; the Uruguayan basketball team almost beat the U.S. team at the 2003 Pan-American Games.

●Foreign affairs are of great interest to Uruguayans, especially now that Uruguayan troops have been deployed overseas as part of UN peacekeeping missions. Currently, the largest Uruguayan deployment is in the Congo.

●Uruguay is a popular South American tourist spot, so ask about sights to see.

Business Entertaining

●3 Protocol

Greetings

●Except when greeting close friends, it is traditional to shake hands firmly with both men and women.

●Close male friends shake hands upon meeting, but men kiss close female friends. Close female friends usually kiss each other.

Titles/Forms of Address

●For further information on the proper titles and forms of address for Spanish-speaking countries, please consult Appendix A.

Gestures

●While most Latin Americans converse at a much closer distance than North American citizens are used to, Uruguayans are generally aware that close proximity makes some people nervous. Consequently, most Uruguayan businesspeople will give such foreigners more “breathing room” than they would generally allow fellow Uruguayans.

●The “thumbs-up” gesture means “okay” in Uruguay.

●Curling the fingers around so that they touch the thumb indicates doubt. This gesture is usually done with the right hand.

●Sit only on chairs, not on a ledge, box, or table.

●Don’t rest your feet on anything other than a footstool or rail; it is very impolite to place them on a table.

●Avoid yawning in public. Yawning is a signal that it is time to adjourn.

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Cultural Note

Do not ask probing questions about an Uruguayan’s family unless prompted to by your host. Remember that the country went through over fourteen years of brutal military dictatorship, during which more than 10 percent of the population fled into exile and one out of every fifty of the remainder were detained for interrogation (or worse).

Gifts

Dress

●Business dress in Uruguay is conservative: dark suits and ties for men; white blouses and dark suits or skirts for women. Men should follow their Uruguayan colleagues’ lead with regard to wearing ties and removing jackets in the summer.

●Uruguayans do not favor the bright colors popular elsewhere in Latin America. Choose subtle colors for your wardrobe.

●Men may wear the same dark suit for formal occasions (such as the theater, a formal dinner party, and so forth), but women are expected to wear an evening gown.

●Both men and women wear pants in casual situations. If you are meeting business associates, avoid jeans and wear a jacket or blazer. Women should not wear shorts.

●Don’t wear anything outside that can be damaged by water during Carnival because drenching pedestrians is a favorite Carnival trick of the young.

●Summertime can be humid as well as warm, and winters are rainy and chilly. Bring appropriate clothing—and don’t forget that the seasons in the Southern Hemisphere are the reverse of those in the Northern Hemisphere.

Cultural Note

If you graduated from the University of Chicago, leave your class ring at home. Under Uruguay’s military junta, the generals took their economic policy from the “Chicago boys”—free-market economic advisers largely trained by Milton Friedman at the University of Chicago. The Chicago boys are not popular; some Uruguayans feel that they treated Uruguay as an economics experiment, enforced by the guns of the military. Opponents of the regime had a saying that “In Uruguay, people were in prison so that prices could be free.”