Santiago Chile Travel Pictures

Plaza de Armas ~ Barrio Centro ~ Central Santiago Chile

Bounded by historic buildings, Plaza de Armas is the center of Santiago's central business district (Santiago Centro) with its office towers, restaurants and pedestrian shopping malls.

The Metro (the easy to navigate subway) and the Univerity of Chile are a few blocks away.

I took this photo on a public holiday, and the plaza was empty but for a few tourists, a far cry from the weekday bustle.

Cathedral Metropolitana ~ Plaza de Armas ~ Santiago Chile

Along the west side of the Plaza de Armas is the Cathedral Metropolitana, built in 1745.

The interior is quite lovely and ornate, as they are, and open to visitors.

Food tip: Stand facing the cathedral, go left across the street.  Walk straight one block to the next street that's a pedestrian mall.

Turn left again, and on the right, there's a restaurant called Dominos that has great sandwiches all day long, and fresh juice and coffee, and menus available in English.

Cathedral Metropolitana Buasker ~ Plaza De Armas ~ Centro Santiago

In front of the Cathedral Metroplitana :

When this busker, who had been standing still as a statue, suddenly began to move, these children were startled and jumped back, then giggled.

I'm aways delighted when I encounter examples like this that show how much people are the same the world over.

Statue of Valdivia ~ Santiago Chile Plaza de Armas

On the south side of Plaza de Armas is this statue that honours Valdivia, the Spanish conquistador who founded Santiago in 1541.

It faces the house that was at one time his home, and now serves as the main post office.

Weekday Visitors at Santiago Chile Centro Plaza de Armas

On non-holiday days, the Plaza de Armas is full of life and people, dogs and artists, fountains and vendors, especially around the lunch hour.

Some enterprising soul had a few ponies he used for giving rides to children could clamber up to have their photos taken.

Celebrating Chile as One Country ~ Santiago Photography Exhibition

The Plaza de Armas was one of the stops for a travelling photo exhibition called Chile en 100 Miradas (Chile in a 100 Looks).

This is a collection of photos by Chilean artists to show that Chile is one country, albeit with many factions.

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