Santiago de Chile Daily Photo

The Christ in San Joaquín

2007-06-03T21:28:00.000-04:00

This Christ, by Hernán Puelma (1982), is located at the entrance of the Catholic University's San Joaquin campus.
It is very famous, but not because of its artistic value, but for its resemblance with Batman. This is why it is often affectionately referred to as the "BatChrist".

Chilean denomination

2007-02-05T23:45:00.000-03:00

This document is quite interesting. It's located in O'Higgins' tomb and dates from 1818, when Chile was declared an independent country. It states that from that day on, all people shall be called Chilean instead of Spanish. It also states that indigenous races shall not be called "bad races" and the originary population shall also be called Chilean. It's really interesting to read this document and have a glimpse of that time...

O'Higgins Tomb

2007-02-02T23:25:00.000-03:00

This is the crypt of Chile's founding father, Bernardo O'Higgins (1778-1842). It is located below ground in the Plaza de la Ciudadanía (Citizenship Square), just in front of La Moneda Palace. He was Chile's first leader when it became an independent country in 1818.
This is the original marble mausoleum and contains O'Higgins remains. At the base, you can see many document reproductions related to O'Higgins main achievements.
This is a very important historical spot in Santiago, so don't forget to visit this monument.

The German Fountain

2007-01-31T23:48:00.000-03:00

Chile has a very important German colony (German descendants), that date from the middle of the XIXth century, specially south from Santiago in the Xth region.
This monument is the German Fountain, donated by the German colony for Chile's independence centenary (1918). It represents a ship, coming out from the Andes Mountain Range and a condor (one of the animals in the Chilean coat of arms) opening its wings.
Please note the sign that says "Don't drink or bathe, polluted waters"...

Palacio Danubio Azul

2007-01-30T23:42:00.000-03:00

Last night I went to the Danubio Azul restaurant. I love Chinese food and this place is self-promoted as "the best chinese restaurant in town". I think it's true. The place is big, well decorated, service is good and the food (the most important part) is great and very varied.
These chinese warriors are part of the décor, in an internal patio.
If you come to Santiago, this restaurant is a must.

And she finally caught it

2007-01-29T21:29:00.000-03:00

Yesterday, after three days of searching, La Petite Géante finally caught the elusive rhino. She put him in a cage and took it to Valparaiso port, to take him back to Africa.
The people in blue in the picture are the rhino marionette's operators.
The last day of this wonderful show was enjoyed by more than 300.000 people!

La Petite Géante saves the day

2007-01-28T23:38:00.000-03:00

Yesterday I showed you a crowd that was astonished by "something"... Well, that something was La Petite Géante (the Small Giantess), a huge marionette who walks around the city, looking for a rhino that escaped from Africa and is hidden somewhere in Santiago. This rhino is the author of the accident I showed you here.
As you can see, the show was an absolute success!
La Petite Géante is a show by the French street theatre company Royal de Luxe and Santiago is the first city outside Europe to receive such a nice visit.

The astonished crowd

2007-01-27T23:43:00.000-03:00

In yesterday's post, I showed you an accident that supposedly ocurred in Santiago's main street, the Alameda avenue. What kind of event can gather almost 100.000 people in Santiago's Plaza de Armas? They're watching something that is related to the "accident", and guess what... They love it!
Come back tomorrow for the final chapter...

A huge accident in the Alameda

2007-01-26T21:26:00.000-03:00

The Alameda Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, named after Chile's founding father, is Santiago's main street and is 15 Km long.
Yesterday, the Santiaguinos were astonished by this huge accident, which involved two buses and a taxi. It was quite a scene!

Actually, this accident is a hoax, and tomorrow I will show you the author...

Los Naranjos courtyard

2007-01-24T21:01:00.000-03:00

Do you remember La Moneda Palace? This building is Chile's government center and its construction ended in 1805. Inside, you can see this courtyard, called Los Naranjos (Orange trees), which is named after the orange trees you can see on both sides of the fountain.
This courtyard was created during the government of President Juan Antonio Ríos (1942-1946), when an old building located in its center that served as a Mint (the original purpose of La Moneda) was demolished.

The Teatro Municipal

2007-01-23T20:00:00.000-03:00

Santiago's Teatro Municipal is the city's main Opera House. It opened its doors in 1857, but had to be rebuilt after a fire destroyed it completely in 1870. Here, you can enjoy classical music concerts, ballet and opera. The interior décor is beautiful and I hope I can show it to you soon.

Paris and London

2007-01-22T21:55:00.000-03:00

This is the intersection of Paris and Londres streets in Santiago district. As you can see, the cobblestone street has been preserved, which gives this area quite a classic look in a neighborhood that's beginning to change its face into a much more modern one.

A walk in Paris

2007-01-21T23:28:00.000-03:00

This is Paris street. It's located in the Santiago district and has a very nice and narrow cobblestone street and a beautiful traditional architecture. These houses were built in the 1920s.
One block from here you can be in both Paris and London at the same time; Paris street crosses Londres (London) street.

Cobblestones in Pedro de Valdivia

2007-01-17T23:40:00.000-03:00

This cobblestone street is Pedro de Valdivia Avenue, named after the Spanish conquistador (conqueror) who, between other important things, was the first royal governor of Chile and the founder of Santiago. This street was paved with cobblestones in 1930, along with the construction of houses and the installation of street lights.
Some nice cobblestone-covered streets in old districts in Santiago have been paved over with asphalt. Most people think that these old streets should be preserved, because of their beauty and durability. I'm one of them.

Santiago Stock Exchange

2007-01-16T23:11:00.000-03:00

Today, walking in Downtown Santiago, I passed in front of Santiago Stock Exchange, a nice building located between Bandera and New York Streets.
Built in 1913 by the Chilean-French architect Emilio Jecquier, it's another Renaissance-inspired building in Santiago. Other works by the same architect are the Museum of Fine Arts and the Mapocho Train Station.
The Roman number over the clock (1893), stands for the Santiago Stock Exchange foundation.

The Falabella Palace, during daylight

2007-01-15T23:40:00.000-03:00

Do you remember when I showed you the Falabella Palace and its Christmas decorations?
This is how it looks by day. It has a really nice renaissance-inspired architecture and windows decorated with Florentine style mosaics.
Under the blue and white tents you can find the antiques I told you about on my previous posts.

The old barber chair

2007-01-14T20:14:00.000-03:00

In the antiques and used books fair I told you about yesterday I found this old barber chair. It was in good condition and had three badminton rackets over it. Badminton was just a bit popular in the 80's in Chile, but I haven't seen anyone playing it for years.
Is Badminton more popular in your countries?

Old shoe molds

2007-01-13T17:13:00.000-03:00

Do you remember the Falabella Palace? It houses the Providencia district's Town Hall and until january 28th you can see an antiques and used books fair. This table called my attention. You can see many wooden shoe molds, of the size of children feet! They were tied together and looked odd.

A young mummy

2007-01-10T23:22:00.000-03:00

This mummy is located in the National Museum of Natural History and belongs to a child.
It was found in 1954 at 5.400 meters above sea level, in El Plomo Hill.
This one is actually a reproduction. The real one is stored in a special container to avoid its damage due to light and humidity.

Show jumping

2007-01-08T23:17:00.000-03:00

This weekend, I had the chance to watch a full equestrian competition, that included Jumping and Polo. As I told you before, I love horses and would love to have the skills to practice this sport. The event took place in Quillota, a city located 120 Km northwest from Santiago, where I went for some days for work. Quillota is well known for its plantations of avocados and cherimoyas.

Be right back

2007-01-03T23:33:00.000-03:00

I'm leaving the city for the rest of the week for work. As the empty cross in this work by Nicanor Parra's "Obras Públicas" says, I'll be right back. Do you remember I told you this exhibit was controversial? This work is another reason for that. Chile is a very Catholic country and this kind of work can be quite disturbing for some people.

New Year by the ocean

2007-01-02T23:34:00.000-03:00

For the New Year's celebrations, I went to Valparaiso, a city located west from Santiago, by the Pacific Ocean. The new year's arrival was illuminated by a huge fireworks show 21 Km long that included 3 cities: Valparaiso, Viña del Mar and Con-Con. They used 15 tons of fireworks and they even want to enter this event into the Guinness records, as one of the most extensive fireworks show in the world!

January's Theme Day

2007-01-01T22:18:00.000-03:00

First of all, Happy New Year to all of you!
Today, January 1st 2007, is the City Daily Photo Theme Day. This month's theme is "Best Photo of the Year" and though I've been participating only since August in the City Daily Photo community, it was difficult to make my choice. I decided to show you this one, "Guardian Statues", taken in october in the Cementerio General of Santiago, because I love the expression on their faces.

52 Daily Photo sites are participating in the 1st January theme, "My best photograph from last year", please use the links below to visit them.
Due to time zone differences and other factors, the theme photo may not be displayed until later if you are viewing early in the day.

Porto (Portugal) -Albuquerque, NM (USA) -St. Paul, (USA) Kate -Greenville,SC (USA) -Stayton, OR (USA) -Szentes (Hungary) -Hyde (UK) -London (UK) -Dubai (UAE) -Buenos Aires (Argentina) -Shanghai (China) -Nelson (New Zealand) -Twin Cities, MN (USA) -Joplin MO (USA) -Stavanger (Norway) -Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) -Not Strictly Seattle, WA (USA) -Jakarta (Indonesia) -Auckland (New Zealand) -Sharon, CT (USA) -Evry (France) -(Aust) John -Newcastle upon Tyne (England) -Paris (France) -Bandung (Indonesia) -Brussels (Belgium) -Minneapolis MN (USA) -Aliso Viejo, CA (USA) -Seattle, WA (USA) -Budapest (Hungary) -Singapore by Zannnie (Singapore) -Tenerife (Spain) -Santa Clara, CA (USA) -Houston, TX (USA) -Sydney by Nathalie (Aust) -San Diego, CA (USA) -Vancouver, BC (Canada) -Singapore by KeropokMan (Singapore) -East Lansing, MI (USA) -Sydney by Sally (Australia) -Tucson, AZ (USA) -Nottingham (UK) -Sequim, by Norma -Hong Kong -Vantaa, Finland -Kyoto (Japan) -Tokyo (Japan) -Chattanooga -Santiago (Chile) -erlin (Germany) -Trondheim (Norway) -Delta, CO (USA) -

Last shoppings of 2006

2006-12-30T22:44:00.000-03:00

Today I visited the Parque Arauco mall, one of the biggest shopping centers in Santiago. It has a nice place called "Boulevard del Parque", where you can find many restaurants, bars, cafes and a cinema. There was a group playing Bossa Nova music that called my attention (at the center, in this "find Wally" picture)

Long weekend ahead

2006-12-29T23:16:00.000-03:00

First of all, Don't try this at home! Never attempt to drive in a highway and take pictures at the same time!
Today is a special day. The last working week of 2006 is over and a long weekend is coming.
I hope you enjoy these leisure days and begin preparing for the celebrations!
I took this picture in the Constanera Norte, a relatively new highway (inaugurated in April 2005) that connects the eastern and western parts of Santiago. A good part of it is underground.

Human Misery

2006-12-27T22:28:00.000-03:00

I found this beautiful marble sculpture in the National Museum of Fine Arts. I couldn't avoid to capture it in a picture (although guards where not very happy...). It's called "La Miseria" (The Misery, 1910), by Ernesto Concha and really captures the feeling of neglect, abandonment and cold. The way the mother tries to protect her daughter is overwhelming.

Street orchestra

2006-12-26T23:50:00.000-03:00

I found this mini-orchestra in Paseo Estado, a pedestrianised street where you can find many interesting people, like street vendors, shoe-polishers and people who try to earn some money through music, like this group. They where playing classical music and where quite good actually.

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-25T23:23:00.000-03:00

Today is Christmas Day and I want to wish you all very happy holidays from this long, thin and beautiful country called Chile. I hope you had a very nice Christmas eve and enjoyed this non-working day... ;)
To complete yesterday's post, a picture of Santiago's Metropolitan Cathedral's nave.

Waiting for Christmas day

2006-12-24T21:08:00.000-03:00

I found this nativity scene in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago. This Cathedral is our main church and is located in Santiago's Plaza de Armas (downtown main square). It's very nicely decorated and its construction began in 1745. An intersting fact is that this is actually the fifth church in the same spot and the third Cathedral (the two previous ones were destroyed by earthquakes)

Happy Holidays to all of you!

The Coke side of Christmas

2006-12-23T20:48:00.000-03:00

As usual, Coke is a very omnipresent brand on Christmas, with many events during holidays. I didn't notice the first time I showed you this Christmas tree, but it seems that Coca-Cola is sponsoring it. There were some children asking this Viejito Pascuero (Santa Claus in Chile) the presents they want for Christmas. Sorry I couldn't take a better picture of Santa's assistant... LOL!

The indigenous people monument

2006-12-21T01:18:00.000-03:00

This monument, inaugurated in 1992 is dedicated to the "Pueblo Indígena" (Indigenous people), who originally populated Chile. It's located in Santiago's "Plaza de Armas" (downtown main square), and caused a lot of controversy because it shows the broken face of a Mapuche man, although it's a tribute to the bravery of the original inhabitants of Chile.

The Christmas spirit

2006-12-20T18:38:00.000-03:00

I took this picture today at the Chilean Main Post Office. Correos de Chile (our public postal service), organizes this event every year, where you can go and read the letters that poor children write to Santa Claus. People choose the letter with more meaning to them and then get that child the present they want. It's a nice initiative, because there are thousand of families that can't afford the presents their children ask Santa Claus.

The empty fountain

2006-12-19T23:16:00.000-03:00

I found this empty fountain in the Indian Square I showed you here. It only had some dry leaves inside. It really would add a nice touch to the square, now that summer is only a couple of days away.

100th Post!

2006-12-16T23:17:00.000-03:00

Today I'm celebrating my 100th post!
I want to show you the Teresa de los Andes Sanctuary, located in Los Andes, around 80 Km north from Santiago. It's dedicated to Saint Teresa of Jesus of Los Andes, the first chilean saint, canonized in 1993.
It receives more than one hundred thousand pilgrims each month and is a quite beautiful and quiet place, with great surroundings. If you're a catholic person it definitely worths a visit.

The Falabella Palace

2006-12-15T23:24:00.000-03:00

Today, walking on the Pedro de Valdivia Avenue, I saw the beautiful Christmas decorations of the Falabella Palace, which houses the Providencia district's Town Hall. There were many people enjoying the evening in the square and the nice chorus of angels on the second floor terrace.

"Welcome to paradise"

2006-12-14T20:50:00.000-03:00

Finishing my Sao Paulo series, I wanted to show you the "real" objetive of my trip... To rest peacefully in one of the many beautiful beaches of "Ilhabela" island, located just in front of the Sao Paulo state coast. The island is very safe and has small and cozy hotels and many restaurants. It's definitely a great possibility to consider when planning your next vacations, after Santiago de Chile, of course.

A nordic tradition in the tropic

2006-12-13T21:09:00.000-03:00

The Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo is a very nice commercial street. There were many decorated buildings, like the Real Bank. It's funny that in the southern hemisphere Christmas happens during summer so, in a tropical country like Brazil, Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus must be sweating a lot!

The anorexic building

2006-12-12T23:43:00.000-03:00

In the "Paulista" Avenue in Sao Paulo I saw this very thin building. It's quite weird and made me wonder about its safety. As you can see, it's connected to its neighbor at the roof...

The Andes from above

2006-12-11T23:44:00.000-03:00

I took this picture during my flight to Sao Paulo. You can see the Andes Mountain Range from above, always snowy and majestic, when we were crossing to Argentina. Sao Paulo is less than four hours from Santiago... Definitely great for a weekend escape.

A Merry Square

2006-12-06T23:09:00.000-03:00

This is a small part of Santiago's main square, the Plaza de Armas.
As you can see, Christmas spirit has arrived, with a big tree just in front of Santiago's Metropolitan Cathedral.
I hope to show you this beautiful cathedral soon.

P.S.: I won't be posting for a couple of days, because tomorrow I'm leaving to Sao Paulo for a couple of days (this time, just for pleasure...). As far as I know, there's no CDPB of Sao Paulo, so I expect to show you some of this huge Brazilian city once I'm back.

A new tobacco law

2006-12-03T23:38:00.000-03:00

Some weeks ago, our Senate approved a very restrictive law against tobacco. It includes the prohibition to smoke in public places and the obligation that half of all cigarette advertising (and half of each cigarette package) must include this advice. It shows a man who lost his larynx because of cancer and the phrase "Attention! These cigarettes are killing you".

The White Horse

2006-11-30T02:21:00.000-03:00

There's a popular chilean child song called "Caballito Blanco" (Little white horse). The white horse in the picture has verses of this song written on its back. It was nice to find this popular song in the middle of the street.
And its hair look quite funny too...

The golden horse

2006-11-28T21:32:00.000-03:00

This golden horse has a very nice face and is a good addition for the horse collection I've been showing you. Tomorrow I'll show you the last one of the sculptures I chose.

The horse and the fakir

2006-11-27T21:21:00.000-03:00

Do you remember the fakir in Apoquindo Avenue? Well, I found this painted horse making him company. He's part of a charity campaign and if you look carefully you'll see the painting has a very nice theme.

Another lazy sunday

2006-11-26T22:12:00.000-03:00

Yesterday I was capturing some painted horses with my camera and I found this statue at the entrance of a restaurant in El Bosque Avenue. It made me remember this other lazy lion and wanted to show it to you, as today was actually, a Lazy Sunday...

Some very colorful horses

2006-11-25T22:09:00.000-03:00

Until Christmas, you can see in El Golf area (Las Condes District), many horses painted by different artists. The goal is to collect some money for a charity campaign. The horses are painted using colors that characterize various companies who, in return, donate some money to the campaign. This horse "belongs" to a radio station. Nice, isn't it?

Can you guess?

2006-11-21T23:48:00.000-03:00

I really liked this picture. The contrast of yellow, blue and red is quite bright.
Can you guess what's the object shown in the picture?

The cyclist on the hill

2006-11-20T22:57:00.000-03:00

This one is an oldie, but I thought it would be a good successor to yesterday's picture. I caught this cyclist fixing his bike on the San Cristobal Hill. Besides the importance of sport, he also reminded me about the role that alternative means of transportation have in the fight against smog...

Santiago under sunday smog

2006-11-19T23:44:00.000-03:00

This is definitely not one of Santiago more popular views... Smog is a big problem in our capital. This picture was taken during a hot sunday in a hiking trip to the Manquehue hill. Do you have similar problems with air pollution in your cities?

The letter to the widow

2006-11-18T22:59:00.000-03:00

This statue shows Arturo Prat, one of Chile's greatest heroes, who died during the Naval Battle of Iquique, on May 21, 1879 (which is part of the War of the Pacific). The interesting fact about this statue, located near Forestal Park, is that under Prat's image you can read the letter that the Peruvian Admiral Miguel Grau wrote to Arturo Prat's widow after his death, recognizing the bravery of the Chilean hero. The author of the statue is José Carocca Laflor, the same of this one.

An Antique?

2006-11-17T23:56:00.000-03:00

I found this car in a public parking. As you can see, it's quite dusty and not too well taken care of.
It even has a chain to keep the door closed! This poor condition led me to wonder what's the difference between an antique and just an old car...

The Caryatids

2006-11-15T22:48:00.000-03:00

I've always liked these kind of statues: Caryatids. As wikipedia says, they're "sculpted female figures serving as an architectural support". These ones mark the entrance to the Chilean Supreme Court, in the Court Palace I showed you yesterday.

A legal stained glass

2006-11-14T20:55:00.000-03:00

Back in Santiago, I saw this beautiful stained glass window in the Palacio de Tribunales (Court Palace) today. This is a nice XIXth century building of neoclassic style. If you see closely, you can see a condor (Vultur gryphus) in the center of the window. It's one of our two national animals, present in the Chilean coat of arms.

The Tajamar under the Mapocho

2006-11-08T22:44:00.000-03:00

This is a part of the Mapocho's Tajamares. It was a huge brick wall built during Chile's colonial period, in 1792, to protect the city against the periodic floods of the Mapocho river.
They were buried by the city's growth and rediscovered almost two centuries later, during the excavations of Santiago's subway construction. The strange part: It was financed using a special tax to sugar and yerba mate...

I'll be absent for the rest of the week. I have to leave Santiago for work reasons. See you on monday.

The ergonomic bench

2006-11-07T23:25:00.000-03:00

I found this bench in a park in the Providencia district. Its design is quite odd and looks very comfortable. It would be fun to have a self-molded armchair in your living room!

An Anarchist Graffiti

2006-11-06T23:40:00.000-03:00

This Graffiti in the street draw my attention. In the last weeks there have been on the news some groups that call themselves anarchists. Chile is an incredibly quiet country, so these very little groups are still quite rare.

The Chilean stray dog

2006-11-05T23:18:00.000-03:00

Today I saw this nice stray dog and immediately took a picture of it (I didn't check if "it" was a male or female...). It was quite active and playful and the two-colored eyes gave it a very odd look.

The cross at dusk

2006-11-04T21:42:00.000-03:00

I saw this cross yesterday in Quillota when the sun had almost set and I liked the light contrast, mixed with the old tile roof. It belongs to an old chapel of Spanish colonial style.

Returning to Santiago

2006-11-03T22:23:00.000-03:00

As I told you before, I'm working some days each week in Quillota, a city near Santiago. I took this picture at the entrance of La Calavera (The Skull) tunnel on my way back today. I really don't know the origin of the tunnel's name, but it doesn't sound very encouraging when you're going in... It was built in 1950 and is 298 meters long.
I chose this picture because I liked the "speed effect" around the entrance. It kind of gets you dizzy...

Something about to disappear soon in Santiago

2006-11-01T21:08:00.000-03:00

This nice three story building is located near my house and will soon disappear, in order to become an apartment building. It's a pity how many old houses have to be demolished to be replaced by huge structures.

57 Daily Photo sites are participating in the 1st November theme, please use the links below to visit them.
Due to time zone differences and other factors, the theme photo may not be displayed until later if you are viewing early in the day.

Porto -Seattle WA USA (Kim) -London, UK -Greenville, SC -Albuquerque, NM (USA) -St Paul Kate -ShangHai, China -Phoenix, Az -Twin Cities, MN -Sequim, WA -Stayton, OR, USA Bandung (Indonesia) -Dallas, USA -Stavanger (Norway) -Singapore (zannnie) -Budapest (Hungary) -Paris (France) -Tuzla (BiH) -Melbourne, (Aust.) -Auckland, New Zealand Singapore (Raymond) -Dubai UAE (DXBluey) -Vantaa, Finland -Oshawa, Ontario, Canada -St. Paul MN Carol -Singapore (Keropok) -Delta Colorado, USA -Rotterdam (Netherlands -Queens, NY (USA) -Tenerife (Spain) -Santiago (Chile) -Nelson, New Zealand -( Japan ) -Hyde (UK) Sydney (Sally) -Manila, Philippines -Aliso Viejo, CA (USA) -Nottingham UK -Brussels, Belgium -Sharon, CT (USA) -Sydney Australia (Nathalie) -Edinburgh, Scotland -Evry, France -San Diego, CA (USA) -Santa Clara, CA (USA) -Saarbrücken, Germany -Joplin, MO (USA) Indianapolis,IN (USA) -rujillo (Peru) -arcelona (Spain) -erlin (Germany) -ancouver, BC (Canada) -Trier (Germany) -Houston, TX (USA) -Joensuu, Finland -Jakarta -Van Buren (USA) -

Mapocho Train Station

2006-10-31T22:21:00.000-03:00

This is the Mapocho Station Cultural Center. It was built between 1905 and 1912 and served as a train station until 1987 when, due to its state of deterioration, it was closed. The works of restoration ended in 1994 and the train station was re-opened as a Cultural Center. An interesting and beautiful aspect of the restoration is that the roof of the building is now covered in copper, to reflect the importance of Chile as the worldwide leader in copper production.
As you can see, the International Fair of the Book chose a nice location

Dancing Girls

2006-10-30T22:39:00.000-03:00

This year, the tenth region of Chile is the special guest in the International Fair of the Book. These girls came from Valdivia (approximately 1.000 Kms south from Santiago), to show some german dances to the attendants. It was a very nice act and they received a lot of applause.

A lot of books

2006-10-29T20:27:00.000-03:00

Today I visited the 26th Feria Internacional del Libro de Santiago (International Fair of the Book). It's located in the old Mapocho Train Station and you can find many different kind of books. This year the guest of honor is Perú and they have a special stand in the Fair.

M.A.C.

2006-10-28T23:16:00.000-03:00

The Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (Museum of Contemporary Art) is the "Zoo" where I found the Gazelle I showed you in my previous post. It was founded in 1947 and is located in the opposite side of the Museum of Fine Arts in the Palace of Fine Arts.
The weather in Santiago is still a little unpredictable...

The Gazelle

2006-10-25T21:23:00.000-03:00

I found this sculpture in the Museum of Contemporary Art. It's the work of Pablo Rivera and its name is "Gazelle". I doubt that with all those plastic cans (which contained dialysis solution) the bike can reach the speeds an actual gazelle does. Contemporary art is quite subjective... Only the author knows what it means.

Pain Resistance

2006-10-24T22:16:00.000-03:00

I found this statue in Apoquindo Avenue. It represents a person walking over spikes, and I couldn't help thinking of a Fakir or one of the characters of the movie "Honey, I shrunk the kids"...

The Indian Square

2006-10-23T23:56:00.000-03:00

The Plaza de la India (Indian Square) in located in the Santa María Avenue. There, you can find this monument, which honors Gandhi, Nehru and Tagore. It was made by Claudi Tarragó in 1968.

Lazy Sunday

2006-10-22T23:44:00.000-03:00

Today was definitely a lazy sunday. The weather reached 25ºC (summer temperatures are near) and was perfect to rest quietly. The lion in the picture represents the favorite activity of many "Santiaguinos" on weekends...

La Parva

2006-10-21T23:54:00.000-03:00

This is La Parva. It's a Ski center located 50 Km from Santiago, in the Andes mountain range, at 2.700 meters above sea level. It has beautiful landscapes and it's definitely a "must" if you come to Santiago. Spring is already here, so there's no much snow left. I hope next year I can show you a more snowy picture.

An ode to a door ?

2006-10-20T23:40:00.000-03:00

This suggestive sculpture is called "Puerta del Agua" (Water Door) and it was made by Raúl Valdivieso (1931-1992) using three blocks of rock. It definitely called my attention and I felt forced to show it to you...
You can see it during your next trip to Santiago in the "Parque de las Esculturas".

Yellow seeds

2006-10-18T23:16:00.000-03:00

If you see my previous post you'll find, at the end of the park, a group of yellow sculptures called "Semillas" (seeds). They're quite big and weird, and I got this effect taking the picture through a hole in the steel net.

A place to relax

2006-10-17T23:49:00.000-03:00

This is the "Parque de las Esculturas" (Sculptures Park), a very nice park located alongside the Mapocho river. What makes this a special park is that it has 17 sculptures made by chilean artists, mainly with cement and steel. In the picture you can see "Verde y Viento" (Green and Wind), a work that simulates a huge handful of grass. Pity it's a little rusted.
You can find more info about the park and its sculptures here.

Graffiti Advertising

2006-10-16T22:36:00.000-03:00

I was walking on a small street yesterday and I saw this graffiti on the door of a house. As you may have seen elsewhere, this kind of art is becoming quite popular and your wall could become the canvas of a masterpiece, like it or not...
Anyway, if you follow the link on this graffiti, you'll be impressed to see that it's not just art, but a very strange choice of advertising.

Sunday lunch

2006-10-15T21:14:00.000-03:00

The objective of this post is to produce envy among readers! I just wanted to show you a very popular sandwich in Chile: The "Churrasco". It's made of a thin cut of steak, cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado, dill pickles and mayonnaise. Really delicious!
Anyone sinning of glutonny?

A town made of clay

2006-10-14T20:44:00.000-04:00

As I told you here, there's a town near Santiago called Pomaire, which is very famous for its clay pottery. In the picture, taken in an handicraft shop in Pomaire, you can see a piggy bank made of clay. They're quite popular in Chile. The sad part is that you have to break it to get your money...
While I was looking for some info for this post, I found this very nice chilean restaurant located in New York, called "Pomaire".

The Last Gate

2006-10-12T23:53:00.000-04:00

This is the main entrance to the Cementerio General, the cemetery I showed you earlier this week. It’s located at the end of La Paz avenue and the square in front of it is sometimes used for cultural activities!

Close Encounters in Santiago

2006-10-11T23:03:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I couldn't post my Daily Photo because, as a DP "correspondent", I was covering the concert Robbie Williams gave in Santiago, as part of his Close Encounters Tour.
I can only say the concert was great. It's a shame they said cameras weren't allowed... I could only use the mobile's one.

Egyptian tomb

2006-10-09T19:57:00.000-04:00

In the Cementerio General you can see many obelisks and even a pyramid. It's interesting to see different architectural styles when talking about mausoleums. This one is quite pretty and got my attention.

Guardian statues

2006-10-08T20:07:00.000-04:00

These statues are located near the entrance of the Cementerio General, the most important cemetery in Santiago. It was founded in 1821 and has a lot of beautiful (and some strange) mausoleums that I'll show you in the next few days. It's a really "nice" place to visit and you can even take a night guided tour!

The True Cross

2006-10-07T20:18:00.000-04:00

The Veracruz Church is located in José Victorino Lastarria street. It was built in 1855 by the french architect (again...) Claude Brunet Des Baines, as an approach sign to Spain, after the battles that led to Chilean independence.
It was named Veracruz, that means "True Cross", because inside the church is kept a wood chip that is supposed to belong to the cross where Jesus Christ died.

The Catholic University

2006-10-05T23:04:00.000-04:00

The other day (see here), I showed you a courtyard from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, founded in 1888. Today I want to show you the front of the university's building, because my younger brother succeeded in the oral exam to achieve his degree in laws. Congrats! (sorry for the personal comment, but I'm very proud...)

Don Diego de Almagro

2006-10-04T22:35:00.000-04:00

This statue shows Diego de Almagro, credited as the first European discoverer of Chile. He also paticipated in the Sapnish conquest of Peru. It's located in the Almagro square, and as you can see, not everybody cares about our history...

The dome

2006-10-03T22:29:00.000-04:00

The Basilica de los Sacramentinos (Sacramentinos Basilica), declared National Monument, is the work of the architect Ricardo Larraín and was built in 1922. It is located in the Santiago disctrict. Any similarity of its dome with the one in the Sacré Coeur Basilica in Paris is not a coincidence.

So many beautiful gardens

2006-10-02T22:39:00.000-04:00

For the next five months, I'll be working a few days every week in Quillota, a city located 100 Km north from Santiago. I'll do my best to keep showing you more places and people in Santiago, but sometimes I will show you some beautiful things in Quillota, like this garden, which once belonged to a traditional farm.

Theme Day: ¡ Taxi !

2006-10-01T20:48:00.000-04:00

This is a typical Chilean taxi. They're normally Nissans or Daewoos, painted in black with a yellow top. You'll never see a Mercedes turned into a taxi in Santiago (or anywhere in Chile), as European DP bloggers showed us...
Prices can vary, but they usually charge $200 (about US$ 0.37) when you take the cab and then another $80 (about US$ 0.15) for each 200 meters. Taxi drivers are usually friendly.

Please take your time and visit these City Daily Photo, to see how taxis look around the world:

1 (Porto ) -2 (Albuquerque ) -3 (London ) -4 (Seattle, WA (USA) [Kim] ) -5 (Edinburgh ) -6 (Stayton, OR ) -7 (Greenville, SC ) -8 (Budapest ) -9 (Antigua Guatemala ) -10 (Alexandria, VA ) -11 (Manila ) -12 (Twin Cities ) -13 (Szentes ) -14 (Paris ) -15 (Portsmouth ) -16 (Ryde ) -17 (Sydney ) -18 (Oulu ) -19 (Singapore [keropok] ) -20 (Santiago ) -21 (Melbourne, Aust ) 22 (Dubai UAE ) -23 (Bandung (Indonesia) ) -24 (Copenhagen ) -25 (Sequim ) -26 (Singapore ) -27 (Tenerife ) -28 (Sharon, CT ) -29 (Tuzla, B&H ) -30 (Jakarta (Indonesia) ) 31 (Rotterdam ) -32 (Brussels ) -33 (Stavanger (Norway) ) -34 (Aliso Viejo, CA ) -35 (Oshawa, ON, Canada ) -36 (Vantaa, Finland ) -37 (Trier (Germany)) -38 (Newcastle upon Tyne ) -39 (Hong Kong ) -40 (Shang Hai ) -41 (Brussels ) -42 (San Diego, CA (USA) ) -43 (Sydney (Nathalie)) -44 (St Paul (USA)) -45 (Delta, USA) -46 (Trujillo, Peru) -
- -

A day to relax

2006-09-30T20:28:00.000-04:00

Unlike other days, today was cloudy, with a nice temperature. A perfect weather to enjoy a square like Pedro de Valdivia Square, located in the intersection between the avenue with the same name and Bilbao avenue.
The "sensually pierced rocks" (as a tourist guide calls them) are the work of Francisco Gazitúa (1944).

Man's best friend

2006-09-28T22:32:00.000-04:00

On the opposite side of La Moneda Palace, which I showed you here, is the Plaza de la Constitución (Constitution Square). In the surroundings of La Moneda you can see many stray dogs, who became famous last march, when thirty of them were put to sleep to avoid problems during celebrations that would take place when President Bachelet took office. This caused great controversy and now people love them!

A nice courtyard

2006-09-27T23:32:00.000-04:00

This nice courtyard is located inside the Catholic University's main campus. It really invites to sit and read under the shadow of the trees. And as you can see, we're having more sunny days thanks to the arrival of spring.

A palace for coin

2006-09-26T22:27:00.000-04:00

Today I want to show you the most important building in Santiago, La Moneda Palace (literally, the Palace of Coin), Chile's Government Center. Its construction took 35 years and was inaugurated in 1805. The palace was originally created as a Mint, a place to coin bullion, but served later as Presidential Residence. Now, La Moneda Palace is our Government Center. In this picture you can also see a statue of Arturo Alessandri, President of Chile from 1920 to 1925 and from 1932 to 1938.

An old museum

2006-09-25T21:17:00.000-04:00

In Quinta Normal Park you can find one of the oldest museums in America (and I mean the continent), the National Museum of Natural History. This neoclassic building was created by the French architect Paul Lathoud in 1875 for the first Chilean International Exhibition (1875-1876). Just in front of the museum you can see a few Chilean Palms, one of the natives trees of Chile, which I showed you here.

Quinta Normal

2006-09-24T17:51:00.000-04:00

This is "Quinta Normal" Park, a very nice place located in Matucana street (Santiago district). The park was founded as a school of agriculture in 1841. In its 28 hectares it now lodges four museums, soccer and tennis courts, a swimming pool and a lagoon where people can rent boats and row for a while.

The Chilean flavor

2006-09-23T18:07:00.000-04:00

Many countries in the world make empanadas, and Chile is not the exception. I couldn't finish this very special week without showing you one of the most popular foods in Chile, specially during our independence celebrations. Empanadas are filled with cheese, seafood or, most of the time, with pino, a mixture of chopped beef, onion, chopped boiled egg, an olive and raisins. They can be baked or fried and are by far, my favorite food.

The Chilean President

2006-09-21T23:41:00.000-04:00

I guess that many of you didn't know that Chile has a woman President. Michelle Bachelet is the first woman to hold the position of President of Chile. Here you can see her saluting the public at the Army Parade. Seating next to her is our woman Minister of Defense, Vivianne Blanlot. Someone's thinking about Girl Power?

The Glories of the Army Parade

2006-09-20T18:21:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I went to O'Higgins Park to see the most important military parade of the year, in honor to the Glories of the Army. It's very impressive and impeccably made. In the picture you can see the band of Cadets of the "Escuela Militar", which is the Military Academy where Commissioned Officers are educated and trained. The uniforms are inspired by the old german army.

Pulling the rope

2006-09-17T21:33:00.000-04:00

One of the traditional games that people play during our independence celebrations is "Tirar la cuerda" (to pull the rope). It's played in teams and the team that pulls the other across the middle line first wins. I even saw a group of women competing against a horse and you know what? The women won!!! (just in case, not a sexist comment).

Celebrating Chilean Independence

2006-09-16T22:22:00.000-04:00

This weekend Chile began celebrating its independence, which occured in 1818. There are many customs in these celebrations, like typical food and traditional games that were originated during Chile's colonial times. I'm also celebrating, so today I made a sacrifice and I ate for lunch a piece of meat with "chilean salad" (tomato and onion) in this barbecue, just to take this picture...

Two very famous lions

2006-09-14T22:56:00.000-04:00

This lion and his twin next to him (not shown) are two very controversial sculptures in Santiago and in Chile. Most people think (and some want us to think so) that they were robbed to Perú during the War of the Pacific (1879 to 1884). Actually, this magnificent bronze sculptures are part of the work of a Chilean sculptor, José Carocca Laflor.

Stuck on the ceiling

2006-09-13T22:29:00.000-04:00

Sorry for repeating the location of yesterday's post (although it's a different station), but I couldn't resist to take a picture of this advertising I saw today in the subway. The product (most of you must know the brand) is a multipurpose adhesive, and the idea is that the man got glued to the ceiling. You get a very funny feeling when you walk under the mannequin...

Santiago's subway

2006-09-12T19:33:00.000-04:00

Santiago has a very modern, fast, reliable and extremely clean subway system. It was inaugurated in 1975 and at this moment has 5 lines with more lines on the way...

A life-saving Mosaic

2006-09-11T23:30:00.000-04:00

Today I had to go (for work) to the main emergencies hospital in Santiago, The "Hospital de Urgencias Asistencia Pública", founded in 1911 and I saw this beautiful mosaic on the wall of one of its waiting halls. You can see the hospital founder's bust under the mosaic.