Swiss Uruguayans
Swiss Uruguayans are Uruguayan citizens of full or partial Swiss ancestry, who remain culturally connected to Switzerland, or Swiss-born people permanently residing in Uruguay. They are estimated to be around 60,000. History. In 1860, the Basel bank of Siegrist und Fender purchased farm land in Uruguay. It was not long before the first Swiss citizens moved to Uruguay with the goal of working the land as farmers, where they founded the colony of Nueva Helvecia around 1862. As of 2008, there were 956 people with Swiss passports residing in Uruguay.