Santiago

Santiago is the capital and largest city of Chile. Currently, its population numbers more than 18 million inhabitants, having tripled since the 1950s.  As with any city this size, there are varieties of neighborhoods and districts.

Here are some city vistas. These photos were taken from the observation deck of Costanera Center, the tallest building in South America.

Here you can see the Andes Mountains in the background; they are the natural border to Santiago.

The Costanera Center is the second tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere, at 900 feet (300 meters). The tower opened in 2012 and includes a six-level mall, offices, and Sky Costanera, the observation decks.

Palacio de La Moneda is the seat of Chilean government. Akin to the U.S. Capitol building, La Moneda is where the President (currently Sebastián Piñera) and other government officials gather to do their work.

La Moneda was destroyed on September 11, 1973 when forces supporting Augusto Pinochet attacked the city to overthrow the government of Salvador Allende, who won the 1970 presidential election. The coup succeeded in giving power to the Allende regime until 1990 when the famous “NO” vote forced Pinochet to step down as president. Numerous attempts to bring Pinochet to trial over human rights violations were thwarted, and he died in 2006 without ever standing trial.

La Moneda has been rebuilt and refurbished, and is fully functioning as a place of government and history.

There are many green spaces for Santiago residents to relax and appreciate nature.

We will see more of this in a future post.