When in Santiago De Chile
Surprisingly modern and shiny, Santiago is one of South America's most dynamic and metropolitan cities. With enough creature comforts to appeal to international visitors, the city still has the frantic hustle and bustle one would expect from a Chilean city, with a raft of shouting street vendors and frantic locals.
Founded in 1541 by the conqueror Pedro de Valdivia, Santiago's efficient military past is evident, with a well laid out, grid plan network forming the basis of the city. The city's early days were not glorious, with the Araucanian Indians seemingly intent on slaughtering much of the local population. Santiago remained something of a poor relation in Spain's empire for nearly three centuries, not really blossoming into a fully-fledged metropolis until the late 18th century.
By the mid-19th century, the Chilean aristocracy had arrived in Santiago, transforming it from a relatively shabby city to a well-heeled centre of culture. Mansions sprung up along the city's newly paved roads, while a raft of entertainments, including opera, were built to cater for their inhabitants.
The rapidly industrialised city swelled dramatically after the Second World War, when rural poverty drove people to form shanty towns on the edge of the city ? the legacy of which is still very much felt. Santiago's recent history has been bloody and this has also left its mark on the city. In 1970 the democratically elected Allende government was overthrown by a CIA supported coup, to be replaced by General Augusto Pinochet. Street fighting characterised his time in power. The presidential Palacio de la Moneda was unusable for years and the damage to surrounding buildings has still not been repaired.
With Pinochet out of power, Santiago is now becoming more attractive to tourists, especially as the authorities are working to rectify many of its problems, such as previously poor provision of public transport, pollution and congestion. The shanty towns remain but wealth areas such as El Golf and Lo Curro now replicate the affluent standards of the 19th century and are popular with tourists.
Summer, ostensibly lasting from October to April, sees temperatures frequently hit 30 degrees, with an average settling comfortably above 20. Things are slightly cooler in June and July, when temperatures reach around 13 degrees and rain is frequent and fairly substantial, although the wet season technically runs from May to August. The city suffers from near-constant smog, largely caused by high levels of car ownership.
Most international visitors will fly into Aeropuerto Internacional Arturo Merino Benitez. The city is a convenient destination for people planning a more extensive tour of Latin America, as Chile's national airline, Lan, operates routes from here to Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Bolivia. For travellers from Europe, it is generally quickest and cheapest to book a flight from Madrid, although occasionally direct flights can be found from other major European cities. For travellers on a budget, it is possible to reach Santiago by bus, with routes operating from many of the major South American countries. However, travellers should expect their journey to take between five and ten days and many find that travelling through South America by bus is not a comfortable experience.
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Introduction
