Valparaiso is a historic port city 1 1/2 hours from Santiago. We arrived in the late afternoon and chose to take a taxi to the hostel since the city is known for its cerros (hills) and confusing labyrinth of streets. After a few pricey nights in wine country, we were going cheap in a 7 bed room for $13 a night. I don't particularly enjoy the loss of privacy, but the upside is that you can always meet new folks. Since it was Easter weekend (and we presumed things would be closed), we enjoyed a town known for pretty views and diverse street art. Still tired from the bus ride and getting settled, we only walked around Cerro Concepcion that first evening.
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| Sunset and full moon over Valpo. The mural in the bottom center is one of the most famous. The artist is INTI and it spans three buildings. It includes two of his popular trademarks: an open-mouthed clown-life face and three bullets on a necklace. He always includes symbols of Latin American culture too. |
A bit of some GI issues kept us from getting a late start on the first day but we eventually made it to the afternoon walking tour. From our gracious local guide, we learned a lot about Valpo's colorful past. It was hugely popular in the mid to late 1800s as the big port city on the way to the gold rush in California. This brought many European immigrants and wealth to the city. And many firsts to all of South America (first post office, newspaper, firestation, etc.).
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| Original fire stations were each from a different country, including this German one that still functions (e.g. Feuerwehr). All firefighters in Valpo are volunteer (and very proud of that status). With as many fires as they are prone to, it is very important work! |
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| Fishing in the harbor with just a line! Try that pops! |
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| The main plaza. The hideous blue modern top to a historic building is hated by locals but allowed because the port offices threatened to move all port activity to San Antonio so they got what they wanted! |
The old port neighborhood is full of beautiful and ornate buildings...that are now falling apart. The golden age started to end following a massive terremoto (earthquake) in 1906 that killed 4,000 people and injured 20,000 (and I can't imagine there were more than 100,000-150,000 people living there at the time) and basically officially ended when the Panama Canal opened in 1914.
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| The theater before 1906 |
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| The theater after the earthquake. Crazy! |
Valpo almost fell off the map in the mid 1900's but soon artists and writers moved in and the city is now known for its artistic contributions to Chilean history. The port still functions but it's not even the biggest in Chile (San Antonio about an hour south carries that distinction). Parts of the town were designated UNESCO World Heritage status in 2003 so tourism is now one of the big draws. The colorful houses actually have a functional purpose too. Many of the original homes were built with adobe but it didn't handle the weather well so homeowners used leftover ship metal (ballast) to cover and protect their walls. But those were prone to rust so they painted the metal with weather resistant boat paint. Thus, the colorful Valpo was born.
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| Painted metal, street art, crazy electrical wires and graffiti. Sums up just about every block in Valpo. |
Also, the streets up and down the hills are very confusing so people were able to tell others where to go based on different house colors which soon also included big murals. Graffiti is actually illegal (though everywhere) but street art is allowed if the home owner invites the artist to paint. I really only enjoyed the beautiful murals as the graffiti is actually quite hideous. Anyhow, the tour was great.
Hideous and splendious side-by-side.
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