Valparaiso, Chili

Beyond the glaciers, we continued north along the pacific coast to Valparaiso, Chili’s first and once bustling port.  In the early 1900’s this was a wealthy city where European imports and fashion made this the place to be.  Sadly, after a massive earthquake that devastated the city in 1906 and the opening of the Panama Canal shortly thereafter, Valparaiso has struggled.

It is, however, a colorful city built on very steep hills with numerous funiculars (most not much more than a large elevator car) that easily move residents and visitors up and down the hills.  A new and major part of the city’s beauty is its murals that seem to cover every wall in the city.  The government legalized street art to celebrate freedom of expression. 

We had the opportunity to tour the city with a local historian and learned so much about its history.