Most visitors to Chile only use Santiago as an entry point to visit the country’s more famous sites and bypass the city altogether. Instead of doing that, we decided to spend a few days in Santiago to see what it has to offer. While it is not as flashy as other South American cities, we found wonderful attractions, both in its historic centre and the surrounding neighbourhoods. Because of that, we think Santiago deserves a couple of days on your next trip to Chile.
In fact, we found so many things to see and do that we are presenting Santiago in two posts. In this one, we’ll take you to its traditional historic sites. The next will show you the diverse aspects of its communities.
A brief history of Santiago
The city’s history goes back long before the Spanish arrived. In fact, the land was inhabited by nomadic tribes as early as the 10th century BCE. It wasn’t settled as a community, though, until agriculture began in the 9th century AD. The people are called Picunche, but this is a collective term for pre-Hispanic indigenous tribes. A hundred years before the Spanish arrived, these indigenous locals came under the rule of the Incas. They called their city Mapocho, and under Inca control, it transformed into an organized community with streets and irrigated agricultural fields. Unfortunately, very little remains of the Incan city, but it did provide the layout for the new city’s infrastructure.
The capital city of Santiago was founded in 1540 by Spaniard Pedro de Valdivia. He named the new city “Santiago del Nuevo Extremadura”. The name combined the patron saint of Spain, St. James (Santiago) and Valdivia’s birthplace. Today, it is formally named Santiago de Chile, but is more commonly referred to as Santiago.
Similar to other South and Central American countries, Chile achieved independence from Spain in 1818. The new country quickly became very wealthy from nitrate and copper mining. Its first 100 years saw the addition of a railway, theatres, museums, parks and universities. During this time, it had grown to a large city with a population of 500,000.
Because of its dependence on mining and agricultural exports, the country was hit hard by the Great Depression. Eventually, it found prosperity again and, for a time, was considered one of the most stable economies in Latin America. By the 1960s, Santiago had grown to almost 2 million. Things went sideways, though, in 1973 when a military Junta overthrew the newly elected socialist president, Allende. After this, a militant dictator continued to rule for 17 years. We’ll describe that in more detail below.
Today, Santiago is the capital of Chile and houses the presidential wing, but the Congress is located in Valparaiso. The city continued to grow from its early days, and today, its population is just under 7 million, making it the 7th most populous city in South America.
So now that we know a bit of its history, let’s explore this large city together.
Plaza de Armas
As with most Spanish colonial cities, life revolved around a central square. In Santiago, it was Plaza de Armas. The square was an Inca ceremonial centre when Valdivia arrived, but not much of it has survived. Researchers believe there are Incan ruins beneath Santiago, so maybe one day they will be on display.
They don’t celebtrate their Incan history, by they do honour Valdivia. A large statue of him is placed alongside many of the elaborate colonial buildings in the square.
Metropolitan Cathedral
A key in all new Spanish conquests was to convert the locals to Catholicism. Taking one full side of the square is the large Metropolitan Cathedral. First built in 1561, it was the first church in Santiago. That building was rebuilt many times after sustaining damage from indigenous uprisings, earthquakes, floods and fires. The one we see today was built from stone brought from the nearby Cerro Blanco quarry and is said to be a replica of one built in the 1700s.
Inside, it is like walking into an elaborate royal palace. The entire sanctuary is highly decorated in Renaissance style with paintings and statues accented by gold and marble details. The ceiling is equally decorated with frescoes inside gold frames. Even the tile floor is lovely with a variety of flowers and geometric designs.
Downstairs is a modern-looking crypt for the cathedral’s Archbishop and bishops.
Post Office and Palace
Sharing the plaza with the cathedral are two other notable buildings. One is the Palace of the Royal Court and Treasury (Palacio de la Real Audencia). It was once the House of Government, but today the 19th century building houses the National Historic Museum.
Beside it is the Post Office. If it seems too elegant for a post office, that’s because it was built as the Governor’s residence. The elaborate moulding that decorates the facade continues inside, although today, it is not quite so grand.
Other churches
Being a Spanish colonial city, you know there will be a lot of churches. San Francisco Church was the second one built in Santiago. Surprisingly, this unassuming church has remained standing while most others from its time have crumbled from natural disasters. Some claim the reason is that egg whites were added to the mortar.
In addition to San Francisco, you will see many other churches as you walk through the city centre.
Moneda Palace
Located a few blocks from Plaza de Armas is Constitution Square with Moneda Palace (Palacio Moneda) as its main resident. For a palace, it is much more subdued than we expected, especially given its history. First built in the early 1800s, it served as the first mint in Chile. Later, it became Government House and the residence of the president. Commonly called La Moneda, President Salvador Allende died within its walls when a military coup dropped bombs on it, destroying the north facade and killing the president.
The best reason to visit Constitution Square is to witness the Changing of the Guard Ceremony. It takes place outside Moneda Palace and is a great performance that includes marching bands, military personnel and horses.
Changing of the guards takes place at 10 am every other day. You can find the schedule here.
Callee Nueva York
A block away from La Moneda is a collection of lovely European-style buildings on Calle Nueva York. Money from a late 19th and early 20th century mining boom resulted in the development of this upscale neighbourhood with European designs. It included a stock exchange, theatre, palaces and others. Today, many are used as government buildings.
In addition to this contained area, as you walk a little further away, you’ll find the Former National Congress and Justice Buildings.
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
On the edge of the historic centre is a very grand building with an ornate entrance. Inside, the Fine Arts Museum looks more like a Roman hall than a Chilean museum, but it is lovely. It’s free to enter.
Tip – Not all of Santiago’s downtown streets are visitor friendly. We walked on many that were home to street people. They didn’t bother us, but it would be wise to take caution when wandering in the city’s downtown.
Getting to Chile
Most will reach Chile by flying into Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport. It is quite far from downtown, but there are a few options to get to and from the airport. One option is to take Centro Puerto Bus or TurBus from the airport and get off at either Bus Terminal de Sud or Pajaritos Metro Station. A cheaper option is to take the free shuttle to a transport centre outside the airport, where you can catch a pubic bus to the Pajaritos Metro Station. When you fly in or out of Santiago, keep your eyes out the window for a perfect view of Mt. Aconcagua, the tallest peak in South America.
Buses are a common way to reach nearby Chilean cities as well as Mendoza in Argentina. The city has four large bus terminals, so make note of which one your bus will be using.
You can find Santiago in the middle of the country. It is an interactive map, so you can zoom-in, or click on a marker for a link to our post from that region.
Getting around Santiago
The city has an excellent metro system that makes it very easy to explore this large city on your own. Purchase a reloadable BIP card at any metro station. If you prefer, Uber is widely available.
Where to stay in Santiago
The city is very large, so finding the best accommodation also means knowing which neighbourhoods are the best. Our top recommended neighbourhoods are Lastarria, Providencia and Bellavista. All three are safe, have easy access to the metro and offer a wide selection of hotels and restaurants.
Where to eat in Santiago
Where you dine will depend more on what part of the city you are in at any time of day. As with hotels, there are great options in the Barrios Providencia, Lastarria, and Bellavista.
To read more of our adventures in Chile, click here.
Coming Next – Santiago’s Historic Hills and Colourful Neighbourhoods
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To read about more of our adventures go to Destinations.
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