Cementerio General- My favorite part of our tour to Santiago was our visit to the national cemetary, a huge expanse of land in the middle of this large busy city. Such large cementaries are must-see destinations in most large Latin-American cities. Here families are entombed together in mausoleums and family tombs, arranged like little houses along the streets of the cementary, giving it the feel of a city within a city. There are notable socio-economic divisions in this ornate city--paved streets where the tombs of wealthy families stand in rows, aisles of one or two story mausoleums and, on the outskirts, fields of simple iron crosses marking plots covered in flowers, toys, decorations, and signs.
It was impossible to capture the majesty and tranquility of the cementary on film. For an architecture nerd like me, it was fascinating to meander the streets and see the the varying tomb styles which included everything from flying buttresses to a sleek Arabian style in white stone. Walking through this cementary, you see the cultural and ethnic mix that makes up Chile. The names on the tombs and crosses are as varied as their architectural styles. The tombs carry last names of Spanish, German, English, French, Italian, Basque, Croatian, Chinese, and Arabic origen (among many others). Here are a few pictures.
A family tomb constructed in an indigenous Mexican style.
Barely visible in the distance is the tomb of late former president Salvador Allende.
Flying buttresses!
La Chascona (Casa de Pablo Neruda)- One of the Poet's three houses in Chile, La Chascona was the house from which Neruda conducted his political affairs and entertained his fellow artists, writers, and left-wing politicians. I didn't know until coming to Chile that Pablo Neruda was, in fact, a senator in the Chilean parliament. A staunch member of the Chilean Communist Party, one of Neruda's known works is the "Ode to Stalin" written after the death of the Russian communist leader. I will write a separate blog entry about Neruda's houses.
Barrio Bellavista- We culminated our trip with a visit to this bohemian neighborhood where Neruda's house is located. I enjoyed the laid back vibe and the friendly people we met there, as well as the delicious crossaint sandwich sandwich I had for lunch (with lox and the ever abundant avocado) and a glass of wine, of course.
Santiago is a large and very busy city with a lot of pollution, not my favorite. By the afternoon on Saturday we were all ready to head back to our homes in Viña. Eyes stinging (Santiago smog), we boarded our tour bus and headed back to the coast.
0 comments:
Post a Comment