VALPARAISO
Spotlight on
Valparaiso/Santiago
HISTORY
Spanish explorers arrived in Valparaiso in 1536, on
the Santiaguillo, a ship sent by Diego de Almagro,
considered the first European explorer of Chile. The
Santiaguillo carried men and supplies for Almagro’s
expedition, under the command of Juan de Saavedra, who named the town after his native village of
Valparaíso de Arriba in Spain.
Guyana
Suriname
Venezuela
French
Guiana
Colombia
Ecuador
Brazil
Peru
Argentina
Valparaiso
Santiago
Uruguay
Santiago was founded by Spanish Conquistador
Pedro de Valdivia in 1541 with the name Santiago
de Nueva Extremadura. The founding ceremony
was held on Huelén Hill (later renamed Cerro Santa
Lucía). Valdivia chose the location of Santiago because of its moderate climate and the ease with
which it could be defended—the Mapocho River
then split into two branches and rejoined further
downstream, forming an island.
Santiago began its transformation into a modern
city in the 1930s. It grew in population, due to migration from the north and south of Chile. Today,
Santiago is among the largest and most important
financial centers in Latin America.
Docking/Tendering
The cruise ship docks in Valparaiso.
SHORE EXCURSIONS
Please check your tour ticket for the correct meeting
time and location for your tour. Your Shore Excursions
team will direct you to your transportation.
Transportation
Taxis are widely available in port.
How to Get to Town
Santiago is a 90 minute ride from Valparaiso where the
cruise ship is docked.
Shopping
Chile is one of only two countries in the world where lapis lazuli, a brilliant blue semi-precious stone, is found
in abundance, and lapis jewelry is plentiful in all price
ranges. Alpaca woolen stoles and sweaters are another local specialty, along with wooden crafts made
by the native Mapuche Indians.
Store Hours
Generally, most stores are open Monday to Friday
from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm, and Saturday from 10:00 am
to 2:00 pm.
Bank Hours
Generally, most banks are open Monday to Friday
from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.
Emergency
In case of an emergency, dial 133.
02/27/08
Guyana
CAPITAL
Santiago is the capital of Chile.
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During Spanish colonial times, Valparaíso remained
a small village, with only a few houses and a church.
After Chile’s independence from Spain, Valparaíso
became the main harbor for the Chilean navy, and
opened to international trade, which had been limited to commerce with Spain and its other colonies.
PORT & SHOPPING MAP
Argentina
Valparaiso
Santiago
Uruguay
Location
Valparaíso is located in central
Chile, 74 miles to the northwest
of Santiago.
Population
Approximately 275,000 people
live in Valparaiso and 200,000
people live in Santiago.
Language
The official language of Chile is
Spanish.
Currency
The official currency of Chile is
the Chilean Peso.
Time Zone
Valparaiso and Santiago are on
Chile Time (UTC-4).
places to see
La Sebastiana
This is a hilltop home of Chile's late Nobel-prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda. The house is a maze of rooms,
each with a prize city view. The grandest square is Sotomayor, the gateway to the town pier, and is lined with
statues and fine official buildings including the Chilean
navy headquarters.
Museum of Pre-Columbian Art
Famed as Santiago's most outstanding museum, you
will find an unmatched collection of carvings in wood
and stone, ceramics, and pottery and textiles from the
early inhabitants of South and Central America and
Mexico, especially the Andes tribes. There are up to
3,000 items on display.
Plaza de Armas
This square of palms and fountains was laid out by Pedro de Valdivia, the Spanish Conquistador who founded
the city in 1541. It is the historic heart of the city, lined
with handsome Spanish Colonial-style buildings, including the City Hall, Natural History Museum, the
Post Office, and the Metropolitan Cathedral, the city's
grandest church. Step inside the cathedral to see the
gilt arches and the high marble altar set with lapis lazuli.
Erected in 1745, this is actually the fifth church on this
site. The first one was burnt down by Mapuche Indians
just a few months after it was built, and the others were
destroyed by earthquakes in 1552, 1647 and 1730.
Constitution Square
The city's most formal square, about six blocks from
the Plaza de Armas, is home to statues of heroes and
of the Palacio de la Moneda, the presidential palace.
The changing of the guard takes place every other day
at 10:00 am. The plaza is the roof of an underground
bunker built by Augusto Pinochet when he took over
the government in an infamous military coup in 1973.
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