Its history started in 1845, during General Oribe's siege of Montevideo, which at the time was little more than the actual Ciudad Vieja, by the creation of the Tribunal of Unión in the area. In 1849, Oribe founded here a village called "Restauración". After the end of the civil war, its status was elevated from "Pueblo" (village) to "Villa" (town) and was renamed to "Villa de la Unión" by Decree of 11 November 1851.