Tourists take photos in front of a sculpture of a giant hand emerging from the sand on Brava Beach in Punta del Este, Uruguay, on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. Uruguay’s Punta del Este, sometimes called the Monaco of South America, became a pandemic haven for thousands of wealthy vacation home owners. Now investors are pouring millions into offices and educational facilities in a bid for immigration to accelerate the change from iconic beach town to year-round city.