Santiago Facts
Fact 1: Modern Santiago de Chile was founded by Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdivia in 1541 as a small colony along the Mapocho River. Chile and its capital, Santiago, remained a Spanish colony until it won independence in 1818 and began to develop and modernize. In 1985 an earthquake destroyed much of the city including many historical buildings, but redevelopment continues. Today, upwards of 6 million people call the city home, representing about 40% of Chile's total population.
Fact 2: Santiago's first structures were erected for native tribes along the Mapocho, sections of which were later drained and converted into the Alameda. Years later the main thoroughfare around which the modern city developed and grew was renamed Alameda Liberator Bernardo O'Higgins. Rapid development and expansion began in 1930s with La Moneda, the government center, as the epicenter. As migration to the city increased, the population exploded.
Fact 3: Santiago's landscapes are as dramatic as her history. From the epicenter of the city along the Mapocho River, the capital city spreads toward the dramatic peaks of the Andes Mountains. Distinct neighborhoods developed in the city and are an important feature of Santiago's culture. The regions of Providencia and Las Condes are populated with restaurants, galleries and shops, and Bellavista is well known for outdoor markets. Downtown, or El Centro, is the thriving financial, political and historic center of the city.
Fact 4: Because Santiago is below the equator in the Southern Hemisphere, North American travelers will find the seasons reversed with summer sweltering from December to February and cool winter months from June to August. The best times to visit are in the spring and fall when temperatures are much more temperate. During the hotter summer months, many residents leave town for holiday.
Fact 5: Despite its size, Santiago is a relatively conservative city with the subways shutting down at 10:30 every night and Sundays seeing most businesses – including shops, restaurants and bars – closed. During the week, most businesses close for lunch but restaurants and nightspots may stay open late as the Latin cultural phenomenon of eating late and socializing until the wee hours, especially on Friday and Saturday nights, is alive and well.
Fact 6: Business development has driven the growth of Santiago as more and more international companies move into the area and set up regional offices. Though Santiago ranks behind other leading Latin American cities for business development, steady growth in recent years (thanks to relative political calm) has led to a boom in business interests. Companies such as HP, Intel, Coca-Cola, Microsoft and Ford have set up shop here recently.
Fact 7: Getting around Santiago can sometimes be an adventure in and of itself, with the best form of intra-city transport, the Metro, closing at 10:30 every night. During the day and early evening, travelers should take advantage of the main Metro lines that run from Providencia west down the Alameda; from near the Mercado Central to Lo Ovalle; and from La Florida to Baquedano, with a stop in the Plaza de Armas. Fares are less than $1 per ride, depending on the destination. Visitors may find the bus system more difficult to navigate and residents warn that taking a bus to a destination may be more trouble than it's worth.
Fact 8: Due to Santiago's proximity to both mountains and beaches, day-trips are a good idea for travelers who have several days to visit the region and may want to venture a road-trip. There are many wineries and ski resorts east and south of the city, and Pacific Ocean adventures are just a short journey west. Many hotels offer winery tour packages as well, so visitors can get a good taste of the role winemaking now plays in Chile's economy and culture.
Fact 9: Wintertime guests in Santiago may be put off by the dense fog that oftentimes blankets the city. The cause of the fog is a phenomenon called thermal inversion when warm air holds colder air down close to the ground, causing smog and pollution to be trapped within the Central Valley where Santiago sits.
Fact 10: One of the best-known things to come from Chile, for better or worse, is pisco, a drink distilled from grapes that is at the heart of the tasty – but oftentimes very inebriating – pisco sour. During the 18th and 19th centuries, pisco was the drink of choice for sailors. Depending on its content, pisco can be between 60 and 90 proof and has been known to cause severe hangovers in the uninitiated. Be sure to try the local drink but be warned that one too many may lead to a real headache.
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