The City of Atlántida was founded in 1911, but its population did not increase until 1939, when an Italian named Natalio Michelizzi purchased all the lands that had not been urbanized yet and gradually founded the first hotels in the area. Those were the days on which Europe was going through its worst war; therefore, both the Montevideo and neighboring Buenos Aires turned out to be ideal destinations for investors from the old world who were fleeing from the hostile environment.
Natalio started a development at Atlántida based on what had amazed him in Europe. One of his creations is the piece of work known as El Águila (the Eagle), a structure made of rock with the head of an eagle and the body of a dolphin. At present, it is visited by all tourists coming to Atlántida. Its author would define it as “a house with the shape of an eagle simply to read and meditate”.
At first, the eagle had another name: “La Quimera” (the chimera). The real intention of the author was to build a chapel, but the project was never carried out. Thus, “The chimera” was created by hand and without any blueprints. Its interior walls were decorated with sharks, octopuses and seaweed.
At the very beginning, “La Quimera” was the gathering point for Natalio Michellizzi and his friends. But when Natalio died, the site began to decline and deteriorate. As from that moment, the locals started to tell urban legends involving the now called “Eagle”, including everything from a cosmic energy center to the temple of a strange religion. Others say that real treasures were hidden there and even that the place was used to spy on the Nazis in the middle of the World War.
Today, this place is visited by tourists who come to Atlántida, most of whom ignore its history.
