Famous Bugre Stone and the Moconá Falls The
Guaraníes who inhabited this area used to refer to the Uruguay River as 'The river of snails', due to the great deal of bends throughout its course (the stretch today known as upper Uruguay). Bugre Stone is a rock formation that may be spotted in the middle of this narrow Uruguay River, which divides Argentina and Brazil. River tours to the
Moconá Falls (on the Argentinian side) start at this point. Legend has it that the
Guaraníes -native dwellers of this area- used this singular rock from time immemorial to cross to the opposite bank. Just a few meters separate both sides of the river. That rock, however, was not only used to cross from side to side but also as a meeting point for the native communities to solve their conflicts, celebrate traditions and even settle certain differences between the most important chiefs in the tribes. The one falling into the water would be defeated. Some local history books assert that the
Guaraníes used to give a divine character to this site and resort to it in search for answers when the white man arrived in these lands. The treacherous stone was not an easy site to reach or to occupy but it granted whoever managed to do it that the necessary peace and quietness to see things in a different way: to 'travel to other worlds'. Today, as we sail the river to appreciate the falls, we can observe that rock from both sides. And it is worth thinking about those who visited it before...