Valparaíso - Chile’s Capital of Cool

Our visit to Santiago coincided with the Christmas holiday. It was naive of us to think Christmas would have no substantive disruption while traveling in a predominantly Catholic country. After our walking tour around Old Santiago, our tour guide, Carlos, pointed out that Chileans took public holidays very seriously. Most businesses begin shutting down early on Christmas Eve. While public transportation would only be moderately affected, almost all restaurants, even convenience stores, would be closed. The only places open would be hotel restaurants, which must be reserved far in advance for their overpriced pre-fix holiday dinner. Carlos framed it as the Chileans’ respect for workers’ rights. “Santiago will be a ghost town!” he proclaimed.

When I asked Carlos about the best way to spend Christmas Eve here, he suggested looking into the seaside city of Valparaíso. The seaside is a popular tourist getaway for Chileans and foreigners alike, making it more likely that more restaurants would be open during the holidays. Just an hour from Santiago, Valparaíso is Chile’s legislative capital and the second-largest metropolitan area. Partly because of its status as one of Chile’s seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Valparaíso was already on my travel bucket list. But I can’t say I knew much about the city except for its Bohemian vibes.

To make the most of our day, we started early from Terminal Pajaritos on the west side of Santiago. The roundtrip reserved seating ticket for the 70-mile journey costs only 12,000 CLP per person. The inter-city buses in Chile are a cut above the buses in the United States. The ride was comfortable, with comfy oversized seats. As we approached the coast, the scenery changed completely. From the weather to the vegetation, this place reminded me of coastal California, and there was a sense of strange familiarity. I could tell immediately that Valparaíso would be my jam.

Valparaíso’s bus terminal is located at the city’s eastern edge. The dilapidated station does not reflect Valparaíso’s status as the second city. The surrounding neighborhood was vibrant but not particularly charming at first glance. With only limited time, we immediately jumped on a local bus toward the historic center. Over the centuries, the city developed along the coastline and expanded over the steep hills. I was impressed by the city’s grand architecture from the bus windows, albeit in varying states of decay. It was obvious the city had gone through some tough times in recent decades.

Our first stop was the Plaza Sotomayor, the city’s ceremonial gateway. Maybe because it was a holiday, the square was eerily quiet and felt like a film set. In the middle of the square is a gleaming neoclassical memorial: The Hero of Iquique Monument. It commemorates Chile’s loss in the Battle of Iquique in 1879, which was part of the larger Pacific Wars with Peru and Bolivia. Even though Chile ultimately triumphed in the Pacific Wars, the battle was made famous by the death of national hero Arturo Prat, who proudly stands at the top of the monument. Hidden below it is a crypt holding his remains. The stationing of ceremonial guards around the clock demonstrates Chileans’ reverence toward Prat.

Anchoring the far end of the square is Edificio Armada de Chile. Its over-the-top Renaissance Revival style is said to be inspired by the Hôtel de Ville in Paris. When inaugurated in 1910, the building was the center of Valparaíso’s administration and an important civic space where extravagant balls were frequently held. The palace was also used as the presidential summer palace and received foreign dignitaries, including Fidel Castro. As its current name suggests, the building is now the headquarters of the Chilean Navy. Since Valparaíso is Chile’s biggest port, it was also natural that it has the country’s most important naval base.

When the Chilean military staged a coup in 1973 against President Allende, the Chilean Navy took center stage, and Valparaíso became the first town to be occupied. Understandably, Augusto Pinochet, a military director, seemed particularly fond of Valparaíso. He built his summer residence in nearby Viña del Mar. Pinochet relocated the national parliament here from Santiago in 1987 in the name of decentralization. Even though some parliamentary functions have recently relocated back to Santiago, Valparaíso remains the legislative capital. I suspect such a move was a tactic to insulate the legislative functions from potential disturbance from the public.

One of Valparaíso’s most famous nicknames is “Little San Francisco.” Aside from the mild Mediterranean climate, Valparaíso must also navigate the hilly topography. Given the limitation of flat lands along the shore, the city had no option but to build higher up. Rather than making its citizens hike up the steep hills, the city constructed over thirty funiculars. Unlike the cable cars in San Francisco, they are incredibly affordable and are part of residents’ daily commute. Sadly, only seven are still operational today. Most funiculars were privately owned. Over the years, mismanagement, earthquakes, and limited revenue led to the abandonment of many funiculars. Many residents urged government takeovers to keep them operating.

While perfectly safe and a world better than the cable cars of Chiatura, Valparaíso’s rickety funiculars feel like a thrill ride. The two most popular funiculars are Ascensor El Peral and Ascensor Reina Victoria. Both were designated the National Monument of Chile and provide access to the picturesque Concepción Hill and Alegre Hill. Under UNESCO's protection, these hills and the port area below comprise the Historic Quarter of the Seaport City of Valparaíso. We had commanding views of the port and naval base from the belvedere. Thanks to the excellent weather, we could see the nearby resort city of Viña del Mar. The views here may not be as picturesque as San Francisco, but I oddly enjoyed the grittiness and industrial character of Valparaíso.

Following the 1671 sacking of Old Panama, these neighborhoods were significantly fortified. The area was initially occupied by military personnel and the Order of Saint Augustine friars. It was not until the 19th century that these hills became urbanized. It was the golden age of Valparaíso when it was the largest Pacific port in South America. Until the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, Valparaíso was the largest Pacific port in South America, earning it the reputation as the "Jewel of the Pacific.” But like Punta Arenas in the south, the city went into a precipitous decline once the trade was rerouted through Panama.

Being the main port of Chile, Valparaíso was also the historical port of entry for European immigrants. Wealthy English, German, and Yugoslav 8immigrants began to settle on Concepción Hill and Alegre Hill. The higher grounds of these hills afforded them fresh air and views away from the bustle of the port below. Like San Francisco, these neighborhoods were laid on a grid and felt decidedly residential. Reflecting the city’s wealth, there are a plethora of grand mansions. The most prominent among them is Baburizza Palace.

Built for the prominent Zanelli family, the eclectic mansion has numerous fanciful Art Nouveau details, balconies, bay windows, and turrets. In 1925, Italian-Croatian businessman Pascual Baburizza, an avid art collector, purchased the building. In fact, the red-and-white dotted decorations on the exterior are a tribute to the Croatian coat of arms. The city later purchased the building and converted it into an art museum and school of fine arts. The bequeathed collection from Baburizza, which includes works of many prominent Chilean artists, formed the core of the museum collection. The museum's interior is said to be one of the most impressive in Chile.

Walking around the neighborhood, we were mesmerized by the architectural diversity. It was fun to see so many different architectural styles coexisting within such a small area. From German stick-style buildings to Gothic carpenter-style townhouses, the buildings are fancifully colorful. They represent the cosmopolitan history of this port city. The colors and architecture pop against the deep blue sky thanks to the fantastic weather. The city may have lost some of its luster, but I was surprised by how well-kept these buildings were. Because of the holiday, the area was nearly deserted, and it only added to the melancholic sublimity.

As a city of new immigrants, Valparaíso has many different religious denominations. Roman Catholic Church has always had a dominant position in the country; protestants were historically relegated as second-class citizens.

The first Protestants in Chile, despite their Christianity , had adverse and unfavorable experiences. Since the Roman Catholic Church was the only official state religion until 1925 , Catholics enjoyed a privileged situation in various levels of Chilean social and political life. For example, non-Catholics were not allowed to be buried in cemeteries , so many had to be buried secretly on the slopes of the hills. In addition, non-Catholic weddings and baptisms were not recognized. Likewise, any non-Catholic sermon in public spaces was prohibited. This situation gradually changed with the introduction of "secular laws," as a series of reforms were known, introduced from 1880 by President Domingo Santa María . [ 5 ]

The two most prominent are the Anglican Cathedral of Saint Paul (1857) and the German Lutheran Church of the Holy Cross (1897).