A town was founded here in 1783 as "Villa de la Concepcion de las Minas", when a number of families from the Asturias andGalicia regions of Spain settled in the area following a frustrated attempt to populate Patagonia. The idea of a city in the area was first raised in 1753 by Jose Joaquin de Viana, the governor of Montevideo, who wanted to create a population centre in "the zones of the mines". He commissioned Rafael Perez Del Puerto to design the layout of the city, the basis of which remains in place today.
By a decree of 8 October 1830, its status was of "Villa" (town) and on 16 June 1837, by decree Ley N� 158, it became the capital of the "Department of Minas". On 16 May 1888, its status was elevated to "Cuidad" (city) by decree Ley N� 1.980. On 26 December 1927, after the renaming of the department, it became the capital of the "Department of Lavalleja" by decree Ley N� 8.187
