Fray Bentos

Fray Bentos is an industrial city on the Uruguay River in Río Negro Department where a large former meat processing plant still stands with its brick buildings, tall chimney, and factory structures fully preserved. The factory complex spreads across a significant area and shows the rooms where meat was processed and packaged for export.

The plant opened in 1863 and made the city a major global supplier of processed meat products for more than a century. This long period of production shaped the city fundamentally and attracted workers from many countries who came to work there.

The workers who came to this city from around the world left their mark on local life, traditions, and the way the community developed over generations. You can still see this international heritage reflected in the neighborhoods and social spaces built near the factory.

The former factory is accessible as a museum where guided tours in multiple languages take visitors through machinery rooms and production areas. It is helpful to allow enough time to explore the different levels and spaces at a comfortable pace.

The factory's cold storage building retains its original marble floors and original equipment that shows how meat was processed from slaughter through packaging and storage. These rooms document the technical methods from the 1800s that were considered advanced technology at that time.

Location: Río Negro Department

Inception: April 16, 1859

Elevation above the sea: 23 m

GPS coordinates: -33.11652,-58.31310

Latest update: December 14, 2025 19:06