Santiago: A Vertical Frame of Mind

The capital of Chile, Santiago, sits in a valley 500-600 metres above sea level. Surrounded by the Chilean Coastal Range to the west and the snow-capped Andes to the east, it is roughly 56 km inland from the Pacific Ocean. Far south of the ancestral homeland of its colonizers from the Iberian Peninsula of Europe, it is situated about the same distance south of the equator as Atlanta is north of the equator. Santiago's Great Tower is the tallest building in Latin America.  

Santiago derives from Santo (Saint) and Yago (an old Spanish form of James). This might explain why our trip began with a minor miracle. Our connecting flight in Dallas was a mere forty minutes so when we left Vancouver an hour late we anticipated an overnight stay in the USA. Much to our surprise, the plane made up fifty minutes and we were able to race to our second departure in the nick of time. An aerospace engineer who sat beside us said that with a strong tail wind we might make up half an hour. He was also impressed when we arrived so fast. Credit to James, the patron saint of Spain! 

One of our first orders of business was to head to one of Santiago's terrific markets, La Vega. We were keeping our eyes open for some exotic Andean produce. Mark Twain once called chirimoya "the most delicious fruit known to men." It has a velvety texture that tastes like a mixture of banana and pineapple. Lucuma is unique with maple and caramel flavours. Purple Maqui berries are considered to be a super food. Unfortunately, these all turned out to be out of season but we did meet a gregarious vendor who gave us a free sample of prickly pear and helped us to load up with mangoes, avocadoes, berries and other fruit. The Central Market is a short walk away and has a lot going on.

     

Santiago is split more or less into north and south by the clay coloured waters of the Mapocho River.  Its borders are encased in concrete which provides a fertile opportunity for all manner of graffiti, most of it political in nature. Dogs compete for territory here and we were amused watching two that were running up and down the shore and as far out as the middle of the turbulent water to challenge another mutt that kept trying to cross. Beyond the river, to the north, lies Saint Christopher Hill. It is the location of Metropolitan Park, the city's largest green space. The large Tapahue public swimming pool in the park offers a peekaboo view of the city centre below.

At the summit of Saint Christopher Hill the 8.3 metre statue of the Immaculate Conception gazes upon the city. Illuminated at night, it can be seen from just about everywhere. A small chapel sits below it and there is an adjacent sanctuary that includes an elaborate nativity scene. An open air amphitheatre welcomes worshippers (up to 50,000 at a time) and we were impressed with the inspirational pastoral music that played softly throughout our time there.

Santiago is promoted as a lively city full of surprises. This is particularly true of the Bohemian neighbourhood of Belles Artes located at the base of Saint Christopher Hill. It is known for its cafes, galleries and nightlife. It's a place to Tirar la Talla as the Chileans like to say, meaning let your hair down and have some fun. We never ventured there in the dark but noticed the energy building during the day. The name of the main street, Pio Nono, provides an inkling into what one could expect when the stars come out. The streets are known for their colourful and creative murals.

Stretching along the southern bank of the river for a number of kilometres one finds the Parque Forestal. Just about every activity imaginable seems to take place here and we particularly appreciated the lovely gardens. One of the first things that we noticed about the city was the great diversity of trees, everything from horse chestnut to eucalyptus, crape myrtle and Norfolk pine. Music and delightfully tiled mosaics add to the ambiance of the parkland. The park has an impressive fountain to recognize Germany's role in the development of Chile.

Another important hill in Santiago is the Cerro Santa Lucia. It is the remnant of an ancient volcano. The conquistador Pedro de Valdivia captured it from the native Mapuche inhabitants in 1540 and used it as a lookout. In 1840 Fort Hildalgo was built. The backside of the hill was used as a "cemetery for the dissidents" who were not good Catholics or were otherwise deemed unworthy of a good burial. Today it is a lovely oasis that includes a Neptune fountain that leads up to a lovely terrace and on to what has been preserved of the fort.

The Museum of Pre-Columbian Art houses many high quality artefacts from central and south America. Some of my favourites were the Mayan pelote (ball game) player that was fully intact and the statue of a Mayan god dressed in the flayed skins of humans. The most valuable relics of local significance were the Mapuche Chemamulle statues. These are carved figures that were placed on top of the graves of deceased persons of high status.

  

Rather unique is the Artequin Museum in Quinta Normal Park. It served as the Chile Pavilion at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1889 before being transported home piece by piece. Today it contains copies of famous pieces of artwork from around the world.

The Plaza de Armas in Santiago offers the same social setting and pleasant respite from the sun as so many other main squares in Latin America. The outstanding feature is the monument to the courage of the Indigenous people of Chile. The broken face of a Mapuche man caused quite a bit of controversy when the piece was unveiled in 1992.

The downtown area is extremely vibrant and has a lot to offer. Just a ten minute walk from the Plaza de Armas is the Santiago Stock Exchange, the third largest in Latin America. Built in the French Renaissance design, its curved facade and angled sides make it look quite distinct.

What makes Santiago unique? My impression was that the culture seems very relaxed and less formal than places such as Mexico City. What I noticed the most, however, was the juxtaposition of the old and new constructions. The numerous historical buildings from a wide range of earlier European styles often seem like footnotes to ubiquitous skyscrapers which compete for supremacy with the Andes. The Neo-classic Santiago cathedral is a testimony to perseverance. It has been severely damaged by earthquakes on four occasions and rebuilt each time.

Another landmark is the Movistar Tower that was designed to replicate a 1990s cell phone. Far below it stands the statue of General Baquedano, hero of the War of the Pacific. When locals speak of the "great war" this is the one they mean. It was a fight (1879-1884) between Chile and a Bolivian-Peruvian alliance over coastal territory. Chile prevailed and Bolivia is now without direct independent access to the ocean. It remains a point of great controversy. 

The Basilica of Mercy (1735) was declared a national monument in 1977. It was built mostly in the neoclassical style and has a stunning baroque pulpit from Bavaria. Other items include the second oldest statue in the country, the Virgin of Mercy, and a collection of artefacts from Easter Island. There's even a sliver of what is said to be the original cross.

I was just starting grade 11 on the other September 11 (1973) when Augusto Pinochet and his co-conspirators overthrew the democratically elected government of Salvadore de Allende. I remember hearing about it in the news and recall that it sparked outrage, bringing to an end decades of democratic and political stability that had made Chile the envy of South America. During his few years in power (1970-1973) Allende nationalised state industries and worked hard to improve the socioeconomic, medical and educational welfare of Chile's poorest citizens, especially the Mapuche. Born into an upper class family, Allende nevertheless spent forty years fighting for progressive causes.

Within a year there was an increase in economic growth and a decline in inflation. During the next two years, however, the situation unravelled. It was the midst of the cold war and right wing forces around the world were alarmed at the thought of a successfully functioning socialist state. Economic blockades were put into place by various states and there was an American campaign against the Chilean government. Basic commodities became in short supply leading to civil unrest.

During Pinochet's 17 years of dictatorship over 38,000 Chileans were detained for political reasons. Many were tortured and simply disappeared. An estimated 1331 were killed, including 150 children. The coup itself was conducted with the assistance of the CIA and scholars believe that the move could not have been made without that support. Shame on Nixon and the rest of the American government for turning their backs on the rule of law, freedom of speech and justice. All of the details of that fateful day are documented and in the thought provoking Museum of Memory and Human Rights.

One of the most important edifices in Santiago is La Moneda. Currently the national palace where the president resides, it was originally the county's mint. I was a little shocked to learn that one of the first things Pinochet did on the day of the coup was to have the building bombed. The museum has on display a typewriter that was incinerated. When he realized what was happening Allende made a passionate speech from a balcony of La Moneda prior to taking his life with a gun given to him by Fidel Casro. His last words were "I will pay for my loyalty to the people with my life. And I say to them that I am certain that the seeds of what we have planted in the good conscience of thousands and thousands of Chileans will not be shrivelled forever."

Sadly, Pinochet was never really held accountable for his actions. He acquired a great deal of wealth during his tenure and was eventually charged with embezzlement and tax evasion in addition to human rights violations. He had too many Chilean friends in high places to be sentenced in his homeland but while visiting in Europe in 1998 was arrested and charged. Ironically, he was returned to Chile for humanitarian reasons and placed under house arrest. One of the main reasons was his declining health although Chileans talk about the "magical wheelchair" that enabled him to stand bolt upright when his grandchildren arrived one day.

Nancy and I are pretty exhausted from four days of activity without much sleep or relaxation but it has been a very positive start to our trip. We're now looking forward to retreating to the remote Atacama Desert. Up, up and away as we move on to higher ground and begin to acclimatise.