!!!Santiago
by Stas Sedov,
member of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

2 June 2016

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

The Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdivia, who reached the coast of
Chile in the middle of the 16th century, founded the city which was
named in the honour of Saint James (Sanctu Iacobu), the patron saint of
pilgrims. It was decided to locate the city at the foot of the Andes,
about 100 kilometers away from the Pacific coast at an elevation of
around 540 meters above sea level.

[{Image src='01_ Above the Cerro Santa Lucia.jpg' caption='Above the Cerro Santa Lucia' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='516'}]

The creation of the city was entrusted to the architect Pedro de Gamboa,
who preferred the grid layout of the city. The grid plan of the city is
a type of an urban plan in which streets run at right angles to each
other, forming a grid.

Having survived military actions, earthquakes, constantly losing and
gaining the heritage again, in the end of the 19th century the strong
development of the city began: the reason for that was extreme growth of
the mining industry, which also initiated the creation of numerous
castles and a railroad. But further damage was inflicted by the 1973
Chilean coup d'état, when rebels were fighting against the supporters of
Salvador Allende; in February 2010 a strong earthquake hit the city. But
still, Santiago has remained the capital of Chile, its main economic and
cultural center of the country.

[{Image src='02_Santiago, Chile.jpg' caption='Santiago, Chile' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='495'}]

The city of Santiago has preserved many historical landmarks. The Plaza
de Armas is the main square located in center of the city: it is
surrounded by palaces and temples, all built at the colonial period and
representing baroque architecture. The Virgin Mary Statue, standing on
the San Cristobal Hill which is accessible by a cable car, "guards" the
city from above.

In addition to the historical heritage, Santiago is famous for its
parks. The largest one is the Santiago Metropolitan Park, which covers
around 780 hectares. The Park of the Kings was opened in honour of the
500th anniversary of the discovery of America; the Jardín Botánico can
introduce more than 70 species of trees; the Araucano park, which was
founded in the 17th century, is now the place for festivals, theatrical
plays and many other events.

[{Image src='03_Above the Cerro Santa Lucia.jpg' caption='Above the Cerro Santa Lucia' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='704'}]

One more significant landmark of Santiago is the Santa Lucía Hill: it is
the remnant of a volcano dated 15 million years old. And this is the
place where Pedro de Valdivia founded the city in 1541.

The building of the fortress began in 1816. The whole was complex
composed of fortified constructions, areas for accommodation of the
garrison and a weapon storage. It also a cemetery. In 1872 the fortress
was modified for peaceful purposes: good roads which allowed to visit it
were created, fountains and other decorating elements appeared in the
park.

[{Image src='04_Santiago, Chile.jpg' caption='Santiago, Chile' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='646'}]

One of the most interesting monuments of Santa Lucía Hill is the stone
carved with a paragraph extracted from the text that Pedro de Valdivia
sent to the Emperor Carlos V describing the features of the new
conquered lands. And you can become better acquainted with this corner
of the Earth with the help of the AirPano panoramas.

\\ \\
[2 Panoramas of Santiago|Geography/America/Chile/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Santiago]










[{SET customtitle='Santiago (AP)'}]

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