Western Valparaíso

I had heard so many negative things about Valparaíso before my visit there. The crime. The grime. And the area around the bus station was said to be particularly dangerous. So when I headed to Valparaíso at the end of Day 3, I didn’t head directly to Valparaíso. No, I took the bus to the nearby city of Viña del Mar. From the bus station, I walked about 10 minutes to the Viña del Mar station of the Valparaíso metro. Then I took the metro to the end of the line in Valparaíso. The last stop is adjacent to my hotel. I had checked the route from the station to the hotel carefully ahead of time because I was so afraid of getting robbed while carrying my bags.

Well, I never felt unsafe in Valparaíso. It turns out that I absolutely loved the city. Between the brightly painted houses and the street art, it’s incredibly colorful. With its setting on a jumble of hilltops next to the sea, it reminded me of what was then still my home city of San Francisco. (Here’s an odd coincidence. San Francisco and Valparaíso both suffered devasting earthquakes in 1906.) Its historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I will say though, I discovered on Day 5 that it was a good thing I took the bus from Santiago to Viña del Mar. In the meantime, come check out Valparaíso with me!

Historic Port Area

You can see that Valparaíso is an important port city. But it’s not as important as it once was.

In the 19th century, Valparaíso was an extremely important seaport for ships traveling between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. This role led to a period of wealth in the city. Valparaíso’s fortunes took a big hit in the 20th century with the opening of the Panama Canal. Ships no longer needed to take the long, dangerous route around the tip of South America. Things have gotten better in the 21st century as Valparaíso has become a draw for artists and tourists. Valparaíso is now known for its colorful houses and street art. The Chilean Navy remains headquarted in Valparaíso.

The Art Deco customs building, built in 1937.

All the colorful houses and all the hills overlooking the seaport reminded me of what was then my home city of San Francisco. As a matter of fact, during its golden age in the 19th century, Valparaíso was known as Little San Francisco.

A taste of Valparaíso’s street art with an appropriate naval theme.

National Maritime Museum

Like San Francisco has its cable cars, Valparaíso has its famous funiculars, known as *ascensores*. I had planned to take this *ascensor* to the hilltop National Maritime Museum. But as you might be able to see, the particular *ascensor* has been out of commission for quite some time. So I walked up the steep, winding route to the top of the hill.

The figurehead from what was the training ship for the Chilean Merchant Navy.

Another colorful figurehead and a naval cannon.

The *Esmerelda* was a steam-power Chilean warship that was sunk in 1879 by the Peruvian Navy in the War of the Pacific, fought between Chile and a Peruvian-Bolivian alliance. (Despite the loss of the ship, Chile went on to win the war.) This rifle was recovered from the wreck.

A 3-D depiction of the amphibious landing by Chilean forces at what was at the time the Peruvian town of Pisagua. According to signage at the museum, this was the world’s 1st large-scale modern amphibious landing. Chile scored a decisive victory, which led to its ultimate victory in the War of the Pacific. You could say it was Chile’s D-Day. Pisagua has been a Chilean town ever since.

A picture I took as I headed back down the hill.

Plaza Sotomayor

Who’s this cool dude? It’s Jorge Farías, a homegrown singer who sang about his love for Valparaíso. I passed by him at his permanent spot on Plaza Echaurren on my way to Plaza Sotomayor.

I headed back down the hill and back to the port area. Plaza Sotomayor–1 of Valparaíso’s most important squares–faces the port.

This monumental monument is the Monument to the Heroes of Iquique. These are the sailors who lost their lives when Peru sunk the *Esmerelda* in 1879.

The Renaissance Revival Edificio Armada de Chile became the headquarters of the Chilean Navy when it was seized by Pinochet’s forces during the 1973 coup. It remained navy headquarters when democracy was restored.

Palacio Baburizza

I walked up a very steep set of steps to get to Palacio Baburizza. No longer a private home, Palacio Baburizza is now a museum holding a collection of fine art.

*Cogiendo Moras* (*Picking Blackberries*), 1914, by Spanish painter Eugenio Hermoso.

Silver items created by an artist from the indigenous Mapuche people.

*Sex Eclair*, 1992, by Chilean sculptor Iván Cabezón. Wanna bite?

*Los Patipelados* (*The Barefoot Ones*), 1942, by Chilean artist Jim Mendoza Mc-Ray.

*La Animata* (*The Spirit*), by Chilean painter Marco Bonta.

After enjoying the museum, I took Ascensor El Peral back down the hill.

Looking back up the *ascensor* from the station at the bottom of the hill.

Colorful Valparaíso

Brightly colored street art is everywhere in Valparaíso. I wouldn’t be surprised if this one was Covid-themed.

After touring Palacio Baburizza, it was time for me to resume walking around vibrant Valparaíso and taking in as much of the local color as I could. And I rode another ascensor uphill, where most of the color is.

The exterior of this hillside hotel is particularly colorful.

And suddenly, there’s a fountain with Neptune.

Palacio Lyon

Palacio Lyon has been home to the Natural History Museum of Valparaíso since 1988. The museum reminded me a lot of the Harvard Museum of Natural History.