The history and achievements of Uruguay are long and rich with regard to recreation as a device of approach and intervention in the various socio-educational and cultural fields. From the beginning of the 20th century until today, recreation has developed in a singular way and has become a device enriching other artistic disciplines as well as in the humanities and social sciences. This article reports on this historical development by targeting the ideological and methodological positions that promoted recreation in the different territories according to their organizational and institutional frameworks.