Chihuahua: the low profile nudist beach in Punta del Este
The Chihuahua nudist beach is located in the bay of Portezuelo, department of Maldonado, Uruguay. It is a naturist refuge, which began to become popular in the 1960s and became one of the favorite destinations for foreign tourists.
Since the eighties, with the return of democracy in Uruguay, there has been a naturist corner in Punta del Este, located between the sea and the mouth of the El Potrero stream, near the airport, which was an icon in the 1960s and today attracts the foreign tourism. This is the Chihuahua nudist beach, a strip of the eastern coast located in the resort of Chihuahua, in the department of Maldonado, Uruguay, more specifically, in the Bay of Portezuelo.
According to the International Federation of Naturism (INF), "naturism is a way of life in harmony with nature, characterized by the practice of nude in common, with the intention of promoting respect for oneself, for others and for the environment". The Chihuahua Naturist Nudist Beach is part of this proposal, which encourages total nudity as a form of liberation and approach to nature.
Chihuahua: the Uruguayan nudist beach that seduces the world
Despite its low profile and little diffusion, it is very famous in the world for being the first officially nudist beach in Uruguay and for a few years now it has become popular and today it receives many more tourists than in its beginnings.
"The beach where exhibitionism seems to be the watchword has become the ideal place for those who don't want to show off, the place where the paparazzi don't chase them or current magazines look for them," says Loti Zeida, who owns the beach bar the beach at your expense.
"The code is simple: do not perform acts of a sexual nature, do not bother visitors with provocative or persistent looks, refrain from photographing or filming third parties without their consent," explains a regular who did not give his name.
Chihuahua: story of an exotic Uruguayan beach
But, for this to be so, a history of at least 30 years must have elapsed. The area was bought in the 1970s by a group of investors, including BenjamÃn Volco, an Argentine, Francisco Seco Aparicio, a Uruguayan, and Lureliano Priego, among others, and it had a development plan, drawn up by surveyor Stephen in the form of a semicircle, with curved streets that were born and died in the sea.
At first, the inhabitants of the nearby farms began to go to this place on the beach, as soon as the first streets were opened that allowed us to discover it, back in the eighties. These neighbors were, among others, Carlos Perciavalle, Nicolás GarcÃa Uriburu, the Behrens, Juan Gorlero... among many other celebrities.
Natural charm and freedom: the axes of Playa Chihuahua
It is that it is without a doubt, it is a paradisiacal beach. The El Potrero stream zigzags between dunes until it reaches the sea and every year, as the dunes change, the shape of the stream also changes, which is why it is always a different place.
With the coast of Portezuelo Bay, Chihuahua Beach extends along 2,000 m of beach to the east of El Portero stream, where the Laguna del Sauce stream flows. The natural environment of the beach is sandbanks, sea, forests and streams where there is a variety of natural fauna.
In this paradisiacal place, nudism had already begun to take place before it was a well-known place, but it began to become a growing custom, although there were still a few who practiced it.
"In 1985 the Buenos Aires newspaper La razón made it known and the next day ClarÃn published it. It didn't take 24 hours for the beach to be flown over by helicopters hired by media from both shores: the scandal broke out. The Prefecture put up surveillance and the media too. War was unleashed".
Based on this scandalous situation, a group set up the Uruguayan Naturist Nudist Association (AUNN) to carry out the legal actions for it to be authorized, until the government finally reached an agreement and considered it a "tolerated" nudist beach. Today a poster from the Association welcomes tourists and "suggests the practice of total nudity."
In 2000 the first inns and houses that rented rooms appeared until in the summer of 2011 a hotel chain built an establishment with two parts: one for homosexuals and the other for nudists. This is how the beach was then separated: to the west, gays and, to the center, nudist couples and families.
It is currently the main nudist beach in Uruguay and has the support of the Maldonado Municipality, which ensures the cleanliness and safety of the beach. There is a lifeguard to help bathers and members of the prefecture tour the surroundings. In high season, 2,000 to 3,000 people attend Chihuahua daily.
