Santiago

Santiago Travel Guide

Santiago doesn't get the same press as Rio or Buenos Aires, but this metropolis of 5 million people anchoring the Chilean axis is as cosmopolitan as its flashier South American neighbors, if in a bit more subdued way. Ancient and modern stand side by side in the heart of the city -- the neoclassical cathedral reflected in the glass of a nearby office tower is the quintessential postcard view.

Downtown you're never far from leafy Plaza de Armas or the paths that meander along the Río Mapocho. On a clear day you can see the Andes in the distance. But that air is none too clear in the winter when a dreary smog hangs over the city. And you may have the city to yourself in the heat of the summer when Santiaguinos flee for vacation. Spring and fall are the best times to visit.

When it was founded by Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdivia in 1541, Santiago was little more than the triangular patch of land embraced by two arms of the Río Mapocho. Today that area, known as Santiago Centro, is just one of 32 comunas that make up the city, each with its own distinct personality. You'd never mistake Patronato, a neighborhood north of downtown filled with Moorish-style mansions built by families who made their fortunes in textiles, with Providencia, where the modern skyscrapers built by international corporations crowd the avenues. The chic shopping centers of Las Condes have little in common with the outdoor markets in Bellavista.

Perhaps the neighborhoods have retained their individuality because many have histories as old as Santiago itself. Nuñoa, for example, was a hardworking farm town to the east. Farther away was El Arrayán, a sleepy village in the foothills of the Andes. As the capital grew, these and many other communities were drawn inside the city limits. If you ask Santiaguinos you meet today where they reside, they are just as likely to mention their neighborhood as their city.