The Vibrant City of Valparaíso
Our first full day in Valparaíso was filled with exciting and engaging activities, making us quickly
appreciate the atmosphere and culture of the city. The day started at 8:45 a.m. as we boarded the bus
for a fifteen minute ride towards the center of Valparaíso to participate in a city tour. We were a bit
shocked by the weather change since the temperature only reached a high of 65 degrees Fahrenheit
and there was an overcast. However, despite the cooler weather and occasional mist, we all remained
positive, becoming distracted by the many places we visited.
appreciate the atmosphere and culture of the city. The day started at 8:45 a.m. as we boarded the bus
for a fifteen minute ride towards the center of Valparaíso to participate in a city tour. We were a bit
shocked by the weather change since the temperature only reached a high of 65 degrees Fahrenheit
and there was an overcast. However, despite the cooler weather and occasional mist, we all remained
positive, becoming distracted by the many places we visited.
Once we arrived at Plaza Sotomayor, we were greeted by our tour guides, Sebastian and Christopher,
and then divided into two groups. My group went with Sebastian, an energetic, knowledgeable, and
friendly tour guide whose intelligence and personality exceeded my expectations. Throughout the tour,
he thoroughly answered every question we had and made a connection with all of us. He made jokes,
and towards the end of the tour, was singing songs with the boys in our group, filling the day with
laughter.
The tour started with some historic sites in Viña del Mar, right near the beach. The first site was the
harbor, an extremely important place for international commerce, named after the hero of the Pacific War,
Arturo Prat. Sebastian stated that 42% of their exports, such as wine, avocados, and apples, are exported
here. Prior to the Panama Canal, this was the main harbor, which explains the city’s early development
that included two banks and an international exchange. Below is a picture of our group in front of the
harbor!
harbor, an extremely important place for international commerce, named after the hero of the Pacific War,
Arturo Prat. Sebastian stated that 42% of their exports, such as wine, avocados, and apples, are exported
here. Prior to the Panama Canal, this was the main harbor, which explains the city’s early development
that included two banks and an international exchange. Below is a picture of our group in front of the
harbor!
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| Sebastian's group at the harbor |
We then walked towards the Monumento a Los Héroes de Iquique, a monument dedicated to an important battle of the Pacific War, which took place on May 21, 1879, off the Peruvian port of Iquique. Unfortunately, the Chileans were defeated by Peru during this battle that took place on the boat Esmeralda. During the battle, Arturo Prat, jumped on the enemy boat and encouraged everyone to continue fighting even though Esmeralda was sinking. I was surprised to learn that this monument was actually given as a gift by France, and underneath, the heroes who died during that battle were buried. Sebastian added that this day is actually celebrated as everyone gets the day off and there is a parade and speech by the president. I found it very interesting that they celebrate a defeat in their history, but in the end they won the Pacific War, making the war beneficial.
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| Monumento a Los Héroes de Iquique |
Another site we visited was the Armada de Chile, the navy headquarters, built in 1910. This building
actually started as a city hall, but was converted into the navy headquarters to establish a strong military
during the dictatorship. Sebastian explained to us that there are many different types of architectural
styles throughout the city of Valapraíso. With an easily accessible harbor, many immigrants from
Germany, England, Spain, and Italy came to invest and their styles greatly influenced the architecture.
The Armada de Chile was modeled after the Paris City Hall.
actually started as a city hall, but was converted into the navy headquarters to establish a strong military
during the dictatorship. Sebastian explained to us that there are many different types of architectural
styles throughout the city of Valapraíso. With an easily accessible harbor, many immigrants from
Germany, England, Spain, and Italy came to invest and their styles greatly influenced the architecture.
The Armada de Chile was modeled after the Paris City Hall.
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| Armada de Chile |
After visiting some of the historic buildings, we used an ascensor to reach the top of the city. An ascensor, a unique form of travel in Chile, is a cart powered by a pulley system where one cart travels up while the parallel cart travels down. The ascensor that we used was one of the original 29 built in Chile in 1902. I was nervous at first because it moved slow and kept creaking, but we all made it safely to the top of the city to continue our tour.
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| Ascensor |
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| View from inside of ascensor |
For the rest of the tour, Sebastian guided us through many streets and alleys containing street art, one of the most important cultural aspects of Chile. This was definitely the most exciting part of the tour, and we all capitalized on the numerous photo opportunities. Everyone took turns posing in front of artwork and we took many group photos. We learned that graffiti is seen as a form of artwork in this culture, and I was surprised at the multiple purposes it serves. The intricate artwork was breathtaking with a variety of bright colors. We all took our time to really admire the aspects and different techniques each artist utilized. The paintings were so different, yet they were all extremely impressive and it felt like each artwork got better and better throughout the tour. Madison Gilibride stated, “I love how each piece is its own story and incorporates the history, people, and culture. It makes you greatly appreciate everything they have here because we know the story behind it.”
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| Posing in front of the artwork |
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| Pictures on the stairs |
Before beginning the tour, I had questions about how graffiti artists received jobs and got compensated. Sebastian explained to us that graffiti is still illegal, but artists get away with it by asking permission to paint on the outside of the buildings. Once they have the owners permission, it is seen as a private job and becomes acceptable. The intensity of street art in their culture is very impressive, and throughout the tour I observed how it truly is ingrained into their daily lives. We learned that some of these artists are actually making a living off of producing this street art, making it a very serious component of their lives.
Prior to the tour, I just thought the art was something enjoyable to look at, but I quickly learned that each painting has a significant meaning and purpose. We were surprised and amazed when hearing the underlying stories to each painting. During the 1960s, the country shifted towards socialism, and as a result, the graffiti movement was used as propaganda. Artists made statements with their artwork to stand up for what they believe in.
For example, a lot of the street art highlighted Chile’s culture of contrast between the extremely wealthy
and extremely poor. The painting below is meant to depict the greed and wealth of the three leading
companies of the fishing industry. The stairway shown below contains the lyrics of a song that is against
capitalism, painted by students from a university. In addition, the black and white mural below is a
timeline of the violence starting from Spanish colonization until modern days. It depicts conquerors
torturing and killing indigenous people all the way to insulting Donald Trump. I was shocked to see how
new and updated these paintings were.
and extremely poor. The painting below is meant to depict the greed and wealth of the three leading
companies of the fishing industry. The stairway shown below contains the lyrics of a song that is against
capitalism, painted by students from a university. In addition, the black and white mural below is a
timeline of the violence starting from Spanish colonization until modern days. It depicts conquerors
torturing and killing indigenous people all the way to insulting Donald Trump. I was shocked to see how
new and updated these paintings were.
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| Mural of fishing industry |
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| Mural of violence in Chile |
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| Stairway |
Along with propaganda, the street art also demonstrates Chilean traditions. The painting below of the half man/half fish shows the tradition of La Minga in Chiloé, an island in Chile. This tradition is centered around the idea of collaboration, as people would help each other move entire houses by tying ropes around them. Sebastian also taught us that sometimes murals were painted in front of houses to help sell them because it would attract attention. Even the garbage trucks had graffiti painted on them!
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| La Minga |
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| Garbage truck with street art |
Halfway through the tour, we stopped at a candy shop called La Dulceria where we watched candy being made and tried samples. The stores logo, a white ant, is painted throughout the streets populated by graffiti art to lead consumers toward this candy shop. This technique definitely worked as many of us noticed the white ants on the ground, asked Sebastian what it meant, and then expressed interest in visiting. Marissa Russo exclaimed how she loved trying the different types of candy and was impressed on how the store was designed.
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| La Dulceria |
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| Painting by Otto Schuade |
The two paintings below were created by a street artist named Simón. The first one was created four years ago, and the mask represents the artist’s alter ego. The second painting was created in 2011 and is about the artist reinventing himself. The bottom depicts his different personalities, the burning castle shows that he must rebuild himself, and the snake eating himself demonstrates that people must experience a constant reinvention of themselves.
Murals by Simón
During the tour, I spotted dancers painted on one building which quickly grabbed my attention because I am a dancer. Sebastian brought us towards the building so I could take a picture in front of the dance school. Personally, this was one of my favorite parts of the tour because I could connect with the painting and loved seeing that there were dance schools right in the city. Here is a picture of me posing with the dancers!
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| Angelina (me) posing in front of dance school |
Overall, the city tour was such a fulfilling experience because we will never forget some of those paintings we had the privilege of seeing. Participating in the tour immediately immersed us into the culture as we first learned some history, and then observed the intensity of street art in their culture. It was the perfect activity for our first day in Valparaíso! Kayla Bauerlein exclaimed, “I already love the city simply because the people appreciate the little things throughout their art”. After the two hour tour we all got a chance to relax and get some lunch in Valparaíso to energize us for the next event. The following pictures below are more examples of the stunning street art, enjoy!
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