- Santa Lucía Hill
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Santa Lucía Hill
Santa Lucía Hill (Spanish: Cerro Santa Lucía) is a small hill in the centre of Santiago, Chile. It borders on Alameda del Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins in the south, Santa Lucía Street in the west and Victoria Subercaseaux on the east. An adjacent metro station is named for it. The hill has an altitude of 629 m and a height of 69 m over the surrounding area. The hill is the remnant of a volcano 15 million years old.[1]
The hill is adorned with ornate facades, stairways and fountains. Atop the hill, there is a viewpoint unsurpassed inside Santiago except by Cerro San Cristóbal. It is a frequent spot for tourists visiting the city.
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History
It was originally called Huelén by the pre-colonization inhabitants; in Mapudungun the word means "pain, melancholy or sadness". However, the current name comes from the day in which Pedro de Valdivia conquered the hill, on December 13, 1541. That day celebrates "Santa Lucía."
Its first use by its conquerors was as a point of reconnaissance, or a lookout in the years of the Conquista (1541).
On one side of the hill, Fort Hidalgo was built in 1820 as a defensive point. On the other side, the hillside terrain was used as a "cemetery for the dissidents", people who did not follow the then-official Roman Catholic faith, or were considered otherwise unworthy of burial at hallowed grounds. However, the remains buried in the hillside under this fashion were eventually transferred to a secluded section of the General Cemetery, before said cemetery, in turn, was opened to all burials regardless of creed or social condition.
In 1872 Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna decided to conduct a dramatic change to the urban atmosphere of the city of Santiago, among his many works aimed to improve the city, and thus initiated an extensive remodelation of the hill. The works of 1872 consisted of a road which crossed the hill, which at the top accessed a chapel which he also built there, illuminated by the then-novel means of gas. The rest of the hill contains a park with fountains and lookouts. The actual hill is watered by a sophisticated irrigation system. The now iconic yellow and white facade is also a product of Vicuña Mackenna's remodelation.
Vicuña Mackenna was assisted in realizing his designs by the architect Manuel Aldunate, the constructor Enrique Henes, and the stonecutter Andrés Staimbuck.
A few years ago, Santa Lucía hill received an improvement in its illumination system and protections. Also, Fort Hidalgo was restored and reopened to the public. Traditionally, a cannon shot was fired exactly at noon. However, this custom has been abandoned in recent years.
Curiosity
Located in Santa Lucía Hill there is a monument which consists of a 2 m high stone carved with a paragraph extracted from the text that Pedro de Valdivia sent to the Emperor Carlos V describing the features of the new land conquered.
Inside Santa Lucía Hill
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Fountain in "Patio Circular".
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Old path of the Train.
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Outlook from Santa Lucía towards Alameda.
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Outlook of the Pedro de Valdivia square.
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Monument of Pedro de Valdivia
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Monument of archbishop Manuel Vicuña Larrain.
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Monument dedicated, in turn, to "those disowned both by Heaven and Earth, buried here for half a century", and to Protestants in particular, "buried here for their faith in Christ".
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A list with the name of people who founded the city of Santiago during the first cabildo abierto.
References
External links
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