Valparaíso, Chile
The Once and Mighty Port
Once called the little San Francisco, you could say the history of the world has passed through this jewel of the pacific. Before the completion on the Panama Canal in 1914, Valparaíso grew exponentially. During the 19th-century, German, Spanish, Italian and English immigrants passed through and often settled. Early world globalization efforts easily dominated throughout this region of South America in the 1800’s. The city was the main port connecting the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans before or after ships navigated through the straights of Magellan, which sits at the southern tip of Chile and Argentina. There have even been major battles fought just within reach of its harbor.
After the Panama Canal the port activity slowed dramatically and as the harbor traffic slowed, so did the growth of the city. Today, its resilience is a testament to the cities history and its people. While still an important seaport for Chile, especially with the largest city of Santiago being only 75 miles (120 Km) away, the more southern port of San Antonio has taken over the major role of not only the countries largest port but also the largest in all of South America. Now Valparaiso widely serves as one of Chiles hottest tourist destinations. Cruise ships pile up in the Harbor during the summer months. Artists, cafes, swank hotels and hostels and regular festivals dot the landscape. The last three days of the year hold a huge celebration culminating in a fireworks display to bring in the New Year. The popular upscale beach town of Viña Del Mar is only a few miles up the coast as well as other popular beaches.
We started out our journey from Santiago and drove about an hour west to get to Valparaíso. Santiago is 1,870 ft (570 m) above sea level. It’s basically a slow climb down hill to get there. It gets noticeably steeper the closer you get. Arriving in the main part of town the first thing you notice besides the age is the culture. It sweats culture and seawater. The landscape is phenomenal. The city sits like a natural amphitheater overlooking the southern Pacific Ocean. Colorful historic buildings, terraced up the hills, go deep into neighborhoods mostly built during those early globalization years. Valparaiso, much like San Francisco, tends to have regular fog but when we went the skies were blue and you could see clearly for miles.
Our first stop was the main harbor entrance and a place on the water called Restaurant Bote Salvavidas. The food was great albeit a little pricey. The view was amazing and the initial service was good but for some reason waiters switched up on us and we got lost in the shuffle at the end. We sat there for a long time after we were finished and had to hunt someone down to get the check (la cuenta). Maybe thats a cultural thing? Beyond that little mix up, the location was amazing. It's known as one of the best seafood places in town.
From there we shopped at a few small vendors at the dock but opted not to get anything. A few local friends had joined us and warned us we could get all that stuff much cheaper most anywhere else. Angela really wanted to get something with Chilean Lapis Lazuli. The often-bright blue stone is native to Chile and prices vary wildly for the stone. If you purchase any, try and buy from a reputable seller to insure quality and authenticity.
Across from the harbor is the Plaza Sotomayor with the magnificent Monumento a Los Heroes de Iquique. It’s a dedication to fallen heroes during the Battle of Iquique. The famous naval battle was part of the war of the Pacific in 1879 between Peru and Chile. The streets were bustling with activity and friendly street vendors were selling their wares in the plaza. Some vendors were even selling interesting antiques I wish I could have purchased but we generally travel lightly with only carry on luggage. Any purchases we make to take home have to be small in size.
Cerro Alegre’s el Peral Staircase
The stairs of Valparaiso are not only built into the surrounding hillsides but are built into the bohemian artistry and style of the city. They are part of the outdoor museum of street art that shouldn’t be missed. Local artists are allowed and encouraged to express themselves on cement, brick and mortared canvases throughout the hillside communities. Nowhere is that more apparent than the hillside communities of Cerro Concepción and Cerro Alegre. Cerro literally means ‘hill’.
Moving on from Plaza Sotomayor we started up to Cerro Alegre by climbing the staircase that rises generally adjacent to the funicular or incline lift called Subida el Peral. Many people will choose a funicular incline lift to travel up into the hills. While assuredly it’s a special part of Valparaiso, we opted to not use the lift since we also have historic inclines back home in Pittsburgh. Plus we’d miss the art. I’m not 100% sure the name of that staircase we climbed but any staircase climb in the city is almost guaranteed to be a special cultural and artistic expression. It wasn’t a famous staircase in Valparaiso like the Piano in Concepción or the Apolo in another area of Alegre and I couldn’t find it on any list, but some of the murals we found were still spectacular. The mix of cultural and political influence in the artwork is thought provoking. The street art varies from colorful and intricate to some that are simply a statement in writing that still manages to punch you in the stomach. It’s a direct reflection on the people and what they want to say.
The climb up didn't take long. There are much longer excursions you could do and more famous ones. Once at the top we reached El Peral Street, which leads me to believe that the stairs are simply an extension of the street. The reward for climbing to the top is well worth it.
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Paseo Yugoslavo
Cerro Alegre is a beautiful historic barrio with cafes, hotels, restaurants, unique shops and street art around every corner. There are plenty of AirBnbs available in the area if we have had the need. In fact, I had booked one and had to cancel when plans changed. During the 1800’s English immigrants largely settled the neighborhood. You can easily see why so many people flock to these hills every year.
At the top of the stair we had just climbed and to the left begins the Yugoslavo promenade, which started out as a dirt road with modest wooden railings in the far distant past. Today it offers incredible views of Vaparaiso Bay along with cafes and street vendors. It’s there while viewing that you fully understand why Valparaíso has been honored with the label of being a UNESCO World Heritage Site… or maybe the honor is the other way around.
At the corner of the Yugoslvo promenade on the corner of Montealegre Street sits the Baburizza Palace, built in 1916 by Italian architects. It’s a incredible unique building that now houses the cities Municipal Museum of Fine Arts. For just under $5.00 US, you can gain admission.
We walked a bit around the neighborhood an up toward Concepción hill before eventually working our way back down the stairs they same way we came up. We were able to take in the street art one final time and maybe noticed a few things we may have missed on the way up.
At the bottom, Angie once again noticed the kids sitting outside the Appeals Court and took another picture (By the way, she really saved this journey since many of my pics came out bad for Valparaiso). The picture she took also happened to capture the statue of lady justice. This version of lady justice holds the scale at her side and doesn’t wear a blindfold, which is beyond odd, especially outside of a courthouse. Turns out, is in most odd things, there’s a story. An Englishman, who once had an affair with a judge’s wife, was forced to flee the city never to return. For revenge, he had the best sculptures in France created a statue that he requested with a specific set of features. He then donated it to the city. The city, thinking it was some fancy French Bronze statue proudly accepted it and placed it outside their Supreme Court. It took them 30 years to realize they had been had but instead of removing the statue, they revised the meaning. The Chilean Government claimed the statue means that outside of court, street justice prevails while inside the more conventional characteristics were followed.
You got to love when governments revise history to fit their agendas. No country is immune from that. It's always up to the people to remember the truth.
Valparaiso is a fantastic city with so much to offer. We are very indebted to our Chilean friends, although one was technically Uruguayan, for all the help they gave us in exploring a UNESCO site once called the “Jewel of the Pacific”.
PHOTOS BY: Angela Erdmann and Thomas Lonero
