My dear travelers and lovers of unusual journeys, welcome to the new series of travelogues on the Mr.M blog. May, as well as the following months, will be dedicated to one unusual continent – South America, I will show you the countries that I had the opportunity to visit and I am sure that you will enjoy it and want to spend your vacation in one of the destinations. At the very beginning of today’s travelogue, where I will try to describe the capital of Chile – Santiago, I would like to thank the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism), local ministries of tourism, national tourism organizations, as well as other partners who selflessly supported my adventure in South America. With their help, travelogues from several countries were created, as well as numerous fashion stories that you will have the opportunity to read during this series of posts, and I sincerely hope that you will enjoy the new adventure.
Posts from Chile were created with the selfless help of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism), the Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism, the National Tourist Organization of Chile (Chile Travel) and Hotel Luciano K.
Chile, formally the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean. Chile had a population of 17.5 million at the last census and has a territorial area of 756,102 square kilometers. This country is bordered by Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east and the Drake Passage to the south. The country also controls several Pacific islands, including Juan Fernández, Isla Salas y Gómez, Desventuradas and Easter Island and claims about 1,250,000 square kilometers of Antarctica as the Chilean Antarctic Territory. The capital and largest city of Chile is Santiago, and the national language is Spanish.
Spain conquered and colonized the region in the mid-16th century, replacing Inca rule, but they failed to conquer the autonomous Mapuche tribal people who inhabited what is now south-central Chile. Chile emerged as a relatively stable authoritarian republic in the 1830s following their declaration of independence from Spain in 1818. During the 19th century, Chile experienced significant economic and territorial growth, ending Mapuche resistance in the 1880s and gaining its current northern territory in the War of the Pacific, defeating Peru and Bolivia. In the 20th century, until the 1970s, Chile went through a process of democratization and experienced rapid population growth and urbanization, while increasingly relying on exports from copper mining to support its economy.
During the 1960s and 1970s, the country was marked by severe left-right political polarization and turmoil, culminating in the 1973 Chilean coup that overthrew the democratically elected left-wing government of Salvador Allende. This was followed by a 16-year right-wing military dictatorship under Augusto Pinochet, in which the 1980 Chilean Constitution was enacted with the consultation of the Ortuzar Commission, as well as several political and economic reforms, resulting in more than 3,000 deaths or disappearances. The regime ended in 1990, after a referendum in 1988, and was succeeded by a center-left coalition that ruled until 2010.
Chile has high incomes and is one of the most economically and socially stable countries in South America. Chile also scores well in the region in terms of state sustainability and democratic development. Chile is a founding member of the United Nations, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Pacific Alliance, and joined the OECD in 2010.
How did Chile get its name? There are various theories about the origin of the word Chile. According to the 17th-century Spanish chronicler, Diego de Rosales, the Incas named the Aconcagua Valley Chili, a corruption of the name of a Picunche tribal chief named Tilly, who ruled the area at the time of the Inca conquest in the 15th century. While another theory points to the similarity of the Aconcagua Valley with the Casma Valley in Peru, where there was a city and valley named Chili.
Some other theorists argue that Chile may come from a Native American word meaning either “ends of the earth” or “sea gulls” from the Mapuche word chilli, which may mean “where the earth ends” or from the Quechua chiri “cold”] or tchili meaning either “snow” or “deepest point of the Earth”. Another origin attributed to chile is the onomatopoeic chile-chile – a Mapuche imitation of the chirping of a bird known locally as a trile.
The Spanish conquistadors heard the name from the Incas, and the few survivors of Diego de Almagro’s first Spanish expedition south from Peru called themselves the “men of Chile.” Finally, Almagro is credited with universalizing the name Chile, after naming the Mapocho Valley as such. Older spelling The word “chili” was used in English until the early 20th century before it changed to “chile”.
Santiago, also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the central valley of the country and is the center of the metropolitan region of Santiago, which has seven million inhabitants, which represents 40% of the total population of Chile. Most of the city is located between 500-650 m above sea level.
Founded in 1541 by Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdivia, Santiago has served as Chile’s capital since colonial times. The city has a downtown characterized by 19th-century neoclassical architecture and winding side streets with a mix of Art Deco, Neo-Gothic and other styles. Santiago’s cityscape is defined by several independent hills and the fast-flowing Mapocho River, which is bordered by parks such as the Bicentenario Park, the Forestal Park, and the Parque de la Familia. The Andes are visible from most parts of the city and contribute to the smog problem, especially during the winter due to the lack of rain. The outskirts of the city are surrounded by vineyards, and Santiago is an hour’s drive from both the mountains and the Pacific Ocean.
Santiago is the political and financial center of Chile and hosts the regional headquarters of many multinational corporations and organizations. The executive and judicial branches of the Chilean government are located in Santiago, while Congress mainly meets in nearby Valparaiso.
How did this city get its name? The name Santiago was chosen by the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdivia when he founded the city in 1541 as “Santiago del Nuevo Extremo”, as a reference to his native region of Extremadura and as a tribute to James the Great, the patron saint of Spain. The saint’s name appears in various forms in Spanish, such as Diego, Jaime, Jacobo or Santiago, the latter being derived from the Galician evolution of Vulgar Latin Sanctu Iacobu.[6] Apparently, there was no indigenous name for the area where Santiago is located, but the Mapuche language uses the adapted name Santiaw.
In Chile, several entities share the name Santiago, which can often lead to confusion. The Commune of Santiago, also known as Santiago Center, is an administrative unit that encompasses the area occupied by the city during the colonial era. It is managed by the municipality of Santiago, and is headed by the mayor. This commune is part of the province of Santiago, which is headed by a provincial delegate appointed by the President of the Republic, and is also part of the metropolitan region of Santiago, which is governed by a popularly elected governor.
When the term Santiago is used without further clarification, it usually refers to Gran Santiago (Greater Santiago), a metropolitan area characterized by continuous urban development. This area includes the municipality of Santiago and over 40 other municipalities, covering most of the province of Santiago and parts of neighboring provinces. The definition of a metropolitan area changed over time as the city expanded, encompassing smaller towns and rural areas. The inhabitants of the city and region are called santiaguinos (a term for men) and santiaguinas (a term for women).
What is interesting is the fact that only a few historic buildings from the Spanish colonial period remain in the city, because like the rest of the country, Santiago is regularly hit by earthquakes. Preserved buildings include the Casa Colorada (1769), the Church of San Francisco (1586) and the Posada del Corregidor (1750).
The cathedral in the central square (Plaza de Armas) is a landmark that ranks as the Palacio de La Moneda, the Presidential Palace. The original religious building was built between 1784 and 1805, and the architect Joaquin Toeska was in charge of its construction. Other buildings surrounding the Plaza de Armas are the Central Post Office building, which was completed in 1882, and the Palacio de la Real Audiencia de Santiago, built between 1804 and 1807. It houses the Chilean National History Museum with 12,000 objects on display. On the southeast corner of the square is the green cast iron building “Commercial Edwards”, which was built in 1893. To the east of it is the colonial building “Casa Colorado” (1769), which houses the Museum of Santiago. Nearby is the Municipal Theater of Santiago, built in 1857 by the French architect Brune of Edward Baines. It was badly damaged in the 1906 earthquake. Not far from the theater are the Villa Subercazo and the National Library, one of the largest libraries in South America.
The former building of the National Congress, the Palace of Justice and the Royal Customs Palace (Palacio de la Real Aduana de Santiago) are located close to each other. The latter houses the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art. A fire destroyed the Congress building in 1895, which was then rebuilt in the neoclassical style and reopened in 1901. The Congress was overthrown under the military dictatorship (1973–89) of Augusto Pinochet, after which the dictatorship was reconstituted on March 11, 1990, in Valparaíso.
The building of the Palace of Justice (Palacio de Tribunales) is located on the south side of Mont Square. It was designed by the architect Emilio Dojere, and was built between 1907 and 1926. The building houses the Supreme Court of Chile. The panel of 21 judges is the highest judicial authority in Chile. The building is also the seat of the Court of Appeal of Santiago.
Calle Bandera leads to the building of the Santiago Stock Exchange (Bolsa de Comercio), completed in 1917, the Club de la Union (opened in 1925), the University of Chile (1872) and the oldest church in the city, the Church of San Francisco (built between 1586 and 1628), with its statue of Maria Virgen del Socoro (“Our Lady of Help”), brought to Chile by Pedro de Valdivia. North of the Plaza de Armas (“Weapons Square”, where the colonial militia assembled) are the Paseo Puente, the Church of Santo Domingo (1771) and the Central Market (Mercado Central), an ornamental iron building. Also in downtown Santiago is the Torre Entel, a 127.4-meter-tall television tower with an observation deck, completed in 1974; the tower serves as a communications center for the communications company ENTEL Chile.
The center of Costanera was completed in 2009 and includes residential, shopping and entertainment facilities. The project, with a total area of 600,000 square meters, includes the 300-meter-high Gran Torre Santiago (the tallest building in South America) and other commercial buildings. Four business towers are connected by highway and subway.
Within the metropolitan area of Santiago, there are 174 cultural heritage sites under the supervision of the National Council of Monuments, which include archaeological, architectural and historical monuments, settlements and typical areas. Of these, 93 are located in the municipality of Santiago, which is considered the historic center of the city. Although none of Santiago’s monuments have been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, three have already been proposed by the Chilean government: the Incan sanctuary of El Plomo, the Church and Monastery of San Francisco, and the Palace of La Moneda.
In the center of Santiago there are several buildings built during the Spanish domination and which mostly correspond, like the Metropolitan Cathedral and the aforementioned Church of San Francisco, to Catholic churches. Buildings from that period are those located on the side of the Plaza de Armas, such as the seat of the Royal Audience, the post office or the Casa Colorado.
During the nineteenth century and the gaining of independence, new architectural works began to be built in the capital of the young republic. The aristocracy built small palaces for residential use, mostly around the Republika settlement, and they have been preserved to this day. These structures, which have adopted artistic trends from Europe, are joined by the Equestrian Club of Santiago, the headquarters of the University of Chile and the Catholic University, Central Station and Mapocho Station, Mercado Central, the National Library, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Paris-Londres district, among others.
Various green spaces in the city contain within and around various cultural heritage sites. Among the most important are the fortifications of Santa Lucia Hill, the Shrine of the Virgin Mary on top of San Cristobal Hill, the lavish crypt of the General Cemetery, Forestal Park, O’Higgins Park and Quinta Normal Park.
What should you visit when you find yourself in Santiago, the capital of Chile? If you are a big lover of architecture, you can enjoy the beauty of the facades of buildings from the colonial period and also in modern architecture. In addition, there are several hills in Santiago from which you can enjoy divine viewpoints from which you will see the capital of Chile in a completely different light.
San Cristóbal Hill (Spanish: Cerro San Cristóbal) – This 860m hill in downtown Santiago has a zoo and wine museum with an interesting gondola ride to the top, where you can see a statue of the Virgin Mary overlooking the city.
Santa Lucía Hill (Spanish: Cerro Santa Lucía), also known in the Mapuche language as Uelen Hill, is a small hill in the center of Santiago. It is located between Alameda del Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins to the south, Calle Santa Lucia to the west and Victoria Subercazo to the east. The hill has an altitude of 629 m and a height of 69 m above the surrounding area. The hill is the remnant of a 15 million year old volcano. The hill includes a park of 65,300 square meters decorated with ornate facades, steps and fountains. At the highest point there is a viewpoint popular with tourists visiting the city and a meeting place for locals especially for a first date.
It was originally called Uelito o heutrecan by the inhabitants before colonization. However, the current name comes from the day Pedro de Valdivia conquered the hill, December 13, 1540. On that day, “Santa Lucia” is celebrated. It was first used by missionaries as a place of worship or prayer in the years of the smallpox epidemic in 1541. Later, in 1816, Manuel Olager Feliu, a brigadier in the Royal Engineers, designed and built two forts or castles on Santa Lucia Hill, one to the north and the other to the south of the hill. The fortifications were built of stone and lime and could hold eight or twelve guns each. In addition, Olager Feliu designed and built an auxiliary building for ammunition storage and garrison accommodation.
On one side of the hill, Fort Hidalgo was completed in 1820 as a defensive point. On the other hand, the terrain on the hillside was used as a “cemetery for dissidents”, people who did not follow the official Roman Catholic faith of the time or were considered unworthy of burial in the holy place. However, remains buried on the hillside in this manner were eventually moved to a secluded section of the General Cemetery, before said cemetery was, in turn, opened to all burials regardless of creed or social status.
In 1849, James Melville Gillis led an American naval astronomical expedition to Chile to more accurately measure solar parallax. The observatory was set up on the hill of Santa Lucia and was managed by Gillis. When the expedition ended in September 1852, the observatory and accompanying equipment were sold to the Chilean government and formed the nucleus of the first National Astronomical Observatory.
In 1872, Benhamin Vicuña Macena decided to implement a dramatic change in the urban atmosphere of the city of Santiago, among his many works aimed at improving the city, and so he initiated an extensive reconstruction of the hill. The works of 1872 consisted of a road which crossed the hill, and at the top led to a chapel which he also built there, lighted by the then new gas. The rest of the hill contains a park with fountains and viewpoints. The hill itself is watered by a sophisticated irrigation system. The now iconic yellow and white facade is also a product of Vicunja Makenene’s reconstruction. Vicunja Makena was assisted in the realization of his projects by the architect Manuel Aldunate, the constructor Enrique Henes and the stonecutter Andres Staimbuk.
A few years ago, Santa Lucia Hill received an improvement in its lighting and security system. Also, Fort Hidalgo has been restored and reopened to the public. Traditionally, the cannon shot is fired precisely at noon.
The Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts (Spanish: Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes or MNBA) is one of the main centers for Chilean art and wider South American art. Founded in 1880, which also makes it the oldest in South America, the organization is managed by the Art Union (Unión Artística).
The current building, the Palace of Fine Arts (el Palacio de Bellas Artes), dates from 1910 and marks the first centenary of Chile’s independence. It was designed by the Chilean architect Emil Zequier in a fully developed Beaux-Arts style and is located in Parque Forrestal in Santiago. Behind it is the Museum of Contemporary Art (Museo de Arte Contemporáneo) of the University of Chile, which also houses the old School of Fine Arts (Escuela de Bellas Artes).
The Palace of Fine Arts, the current home of the museum, was built in the Neoclassical style of the Second Empire and the Baroque Revival style, strongly enhanced by Art Nouveau details and details of metal structural architecture. The central entrance is through a gigantically enlarged version of Borromini’s false-perspective window from the Palazzo Barberini, which includes a pedimented door completely surrounded by glass, characteristic of the Beaux-Arts style. Through a broken pediment, a square dome rises to the top. The interior layout and facade are modeled after the Petit Palais in Paris. The glass dome that crowns the central hall was designed and manufactured in Belgium, and was brought to Chile in 1907. The approximate weight of the armor of the museum is 115,000 kg, and the glass of the dome is 2,400 kg.
Architecturally, the floor plan of the museum is one with a central axis marked by the entrance and a large hall with a staircase to the second floor. In the great hall, above the balcony from the second floor, there is a carving in high relief depicting two angels holding a shield. They are located in a semi-vault above the heads of two caryatids rising from the balcony, carved by Antonio Coli and Pi.
Santiago, the capital of Chile, is a large metropolis with a diverse selection of shopping centers. If you have some free time and want to feel the charms of modern Santiago and enjoy a luxurious experience of incredible shopping, I highly recommend you to visit Parque Arauco. This luxury mall is known for its high-quality fashion and fine dining. The mall contains over 350 stores, including designer brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Prada.
And for true gourmets and hedonists, there is an excellent selection of gourmet restaurants and cafes. Arauco Park also has a cinema and theater and often hosts live music and cultural events throughout the year, making it a popular destination for shopping and entertainment.
In the next post I will delight you with a review of the famous Hotel Luciano K located in the bohemian heart of Santiago, so we will continue our exploration of the capital of Chile – Santiago.
My dear travellers, we have come to the end of this first special travelogue from Chile where we enjoyed the beauty of Santiago in the series of travelogues of Chile where we had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of this unusual country in South America. Today’s travelogue would not be possible without the selfless help of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism), the Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism, the National Tourist Organization of Chile (Chile Travel) and Hotel Luciano K in cooperation with local partners who allowed me to feel the spirit and beauty of local culture and the beauty of daily life in Santiago. Of course, as always, I tried my best to convey to you my impressions of this unusual experience from Chile.
A person is rich in soul if he has managed to explore the world and I am glad that I always manage to find partners of my projects who help me to discover new and unusual destinations in a completely different way.
I am honoured to have the opportunity to collaborate with many companies in the tourism sector and I would like to thank once again United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism), the Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism, the National Tourist Organization of Chile (Chile Travel) and Hotel Luciano K for this incredible adventure and for allowing me to feel the beauty of this very unusual Chilean culture in a different way and to feel the beauty of everyday life in Santiago.
How did you like my story about Santiago de Chile and the presentation of the vibrant city below the Andes? Have you had the chance to visit Santiago and beautiful Chile so far?
If you have any question, comment, suggestion or message for me you can write me below in the comments. Of course, as always, you can contact me via email or social networks, all addresses can be found on the CONTACT page. See you at the same place in a few days, with some new story!
With Love from Santiago,
Mr.M
This post is sponsored by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism), the Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism, the National Tourist Organization of Chile (Chile Travel) and Hotel Luciano K and other local partners. This post is my personal and honest review of the destination experience.