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| Welcome |
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| Welcome to Valparaíso |
| by Todd Temkin |
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On behalf of the Valparaiso Foundation, the Port
of Valparaiso, and City Hall, it is my pleasure
to welcome cruise ship passengers to historic Valparaiso:
Chile's cultural capital.
• We hope
you will spend time strolling through our hilltop
promenades, exploring the sinuous charm of our cobblestone
streets, and riding our 19 century funicular elevators--the
largest and oldest system of pedestrian funicular
lifts in the world!
• Discovered
by Juan de Saveedra in early 16th century, Valparaiso
was a quiet fisherman's wharf until the California
gold rush of the 1840's. Overnight, maritime traffic
from Europe to western America mushroomed around
Cape Horn. Valparaiso quickly blossomed into a powerful
commercial and banking center, forcing many European
countries to open their first ever Latin American
consulates in the city.
• Valparaiso's
citizens worked hand-in-hand with enterprising European
immigrants seeking economic fortune. Together they
pushed the city passed its natural urban limits.
Huge sections of Valparaiso Bay were landfilled
to house the exploding port , warehouses, and financial
district. When more space was needed, residents
tackled the 43 steep hillsides. Hybrid styles of
European architecture adorned the city's homes.
Ingenious structural solutions permitted construction
along steep slopes and palisades.
• Valparaiso was home to Latin America's first
stock exchange, first community fire department
(founded by 6 colonies of immigrants), and the oldest
Spanish language newspaper in continuous publication
in the world. Other landmarks included Chile's first
commercial banks, libraries, soccer teams, and universities.
• Illustrious visitors to Valparaiso include
Charles Darwin, Sara Bernhard, English writer Mary
Graham, American painter > John Whistler, and Nicaraguan
poet Ruben Dario, hailed as one of the Spanish language’s
greatest poets. Chilean Nobel laureates Pablo Neruda
and Gabriela Mistral spent time in the city, contributing
to the city's reputation as a poet’s maven.
• International sailors called Valparaiso "Pancho,"
a Spanish nickname suggesting "Little San Francisco."
Meanwhile, folk songs gave birth to the moniker
"Valparaiso, The Jewel of the Pacific."
• Such was the economic power of the city that
the 1906 earthquake, one of the most devastating
the world had ever seen, was a mere hiccup in the
city's sprawling progress. Within 3 years the city
was virtually rebuilt. The future of Valparaiso
seemed bright as ever.
Or did it?
• Around 1910, the on-again/off-again pipe
dream of a navigation canal through the isthmus
of Central America resurfaced with new vigor. When
the Panama Canal was finally completed in 1914,
the world celebrated the greatest man-made achievement
of human history.
• But the canal was a death sentence to Valparaiso.
Finally liberated from the ills of navigating the
treacherous Straights of Magellan, international
ship traffic diminished consistently in years to
come. As a secondary blow, thediscovery of artificial
gunpowder crippled the saltpeter industry, one of
Valparaiso's principal exports.
• The second half of the 20 century saw Chilean
economic and political power consolidate in Santiago.
Valparaiso lost hundreds of companies, its charming
hilltop neighborhoods degentrified, and pessimism
reigned. For many, the city seemed on the verge
of oblivion.
• Then, in the late 1990's, the Jewel of the
Pacific began to stir.
• Entrepid entrepreneurs began to restore hilltop
homes and the first restaurants and cafés
began to appear. Later, young bohemians restored
numerous warehouses into pubs & nightclubs.
In 1996, Valparaiso's unique network of funicular
elevators was named one of the world's 100 most
endangered historical treasures. Buoyed by growing
international interest, the Chilean government and
local leaders began the arduous application process
for UNESCO world heritage status. This process continues
today.
• On the economic front, privateinvestment
was brought into the port for the first.time in
2000, bringing with it an important boom to exports.
• In the meantime, many Chileans who had given
up on Valparaiso are beginning to rediscover its
unique urban amphitheater. Valparaiso's rich and
varied history, together with a unique hybrid of
urban and architectural styles, make the city an
ideal place to begin (or finish) your trip to the
Patagonian wilderness.
• We hope this guide is helpful to you. You
are among friends in Valparaiso. |
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