Cantegril is the name given in Uruguay to a shanty town, such as those surrounding its cities including the capital Montevideo. It is equivalent to Brazil's favela and Peru's pueblos jóvenes.[1]
Many of the settlements in Uruguay are land subject to industrial contamination, such as in La Teja and around waterways like the Cańada Alaska in Montevideo. [2]
According to 2007 census data, about 6% of the total Uruguayan population (174,393 people) lived in cantegriles.[3] A documentary about the phenomenon was produced in 1958, called Cantegriles. Whilst cantegril first referred to all squatter settlements, now it only denotes shanty towns; other informal settlements are known as asentamientos irregulares.[4]
The term is an ironic reference to Cantegril, one of the most expensive neighbourhoods of the seaside resort Punta del Este.[5] The word cantegril originates from cante gril in Provençal dialect, meaning cricket sings. Its modern use might derive from the 1921 novel of the same name by Raymond Escholier.