Chile, Land of Extremes

The Aconcagua Valley is located 50 miles to the northeast of Santiago and 75 miles east of Valparaiso. Since Inca times and before, it has been used by its inhabitants for small-scale crops, fruit farming, and livestock. Today the prevailing industry is fruit packing for exportation including grapes, peaches, plums, kiwis, dried fruits, and manufacturing wines and liquors through manual labor and semi-industrial plants.

The Aconcagua Valley is located 50 miles to the northeast of Santiago and 75 miles east of Valparaiso. Since Inca times and before, it has been used by its inhabitants for small-scale crops, fruit farming, and livestock. Today the prevailing industry is fruit packing for exportation including grapes, peaches, plums, kiwis, dried fruits, and manufacturing wines and liquors through manual labor and semi-industrial plants.

Viña del Mar is one of Chile's most popular vacation spots, with beautiful beaches and wide extensions of sand looking out to the Pacific Ocean. The water is cold, however, thanks to the Humboldt Current welling up water from the ocean floor.

With a coastline of about 3,000 miles long bordering the Pacific Ocean, Chile accounts for more than half of the western coastline of South America.

Previously named "5 de Abril" and "Gran Avenida", Avenida Brasil in Valparaíso is a beautiful boulevard, which borders beautiful palaces and important buildings and is filled with gardens and monuments of great cultural significance.

Adorning many of the winding streets of Valparaiso are colorful murals that give a more contemporary feel to the old district and are a reminder of the artsy character of the city.

The murals in Valparaiso epitomize the city's bohemian personality. Some are painted along hidden side streets and dilapidated roads, providing the visitor with a pleasant, unexpected sight.

The murals in Valparaiso epitomize the city's bohemian personality. Some are painted along hidden side streets and dilapidated roads, providing the visitor with a pleasant, unexpected sight.

The murals in Valparaiso epitomize the city's bohemian personality. Some are painted along hidden side streets and dilapidated roads, providing the visitor with a pleasant, unexpected sight.

Studies show that a 20-minute midday siesta would increase productivity and cut the risk of accidents in the workplace, but opponents of this practice in Chile have argued that a siesta would disrupt the working day and harm the economy. Although siestas are traditional in many parts of Latin America, the Chilean move goes against the current trend in the region.

Lunch is the biggest meal of the day. Around office buildings and industrial areas there are small restaurants that offer cheap, set home meals in "comidas corridas" o "almuerzo del día". They consist of a soup or "cazuela", a main dish of meat or fish with vegetables, and a dessert.

Ship paint is extremely weatherproof and often brightly colored because deck metal needs to be clearly visible in poor weather conditions. Crewmen from incoming vessels would sell their leftover cans of paint to residents, who used them to cover their houses, thus starting Valparaiso's multicolored personality.

Ship paint is extremely weatherproof and often brightly colored because deck metal needs to be clearly visible in poor weather conditions. Crewmen from incoming vessels would sell their leftover cans of paint to residents, who used them to cover their houses, thus starting Valparaiso's multicolored personality.

Ship paint is extremely weatherproof and often brightly colored because deck metal needs to be clearly visible in poor weather conditions. Crewmen from incoming vessels would sell their leftover cans of paint to residents, who used them to cover their houses, thus starting Valparaiso's multicolored personality.

Ship paint is extremely weatherproof and often brightly colored because deck metal needs to be clearly visible in poor weather conditions. Crewmen from incoming vessels would sell their leftover cans of paint to residents, who used them to cover their houses, thus starting Valparaiso's multicolored personality.

Ship paint is extremely weatherproof and often brightly colored because deck metal needs to be clearly visible in poor weather conditions. Crewmen from incoming vessels would sell their leftover cans of paint to residents, who used them to cover their houses, thus starting Valparaiso's multicolored personality.

There has been a lot of controversy around the tall buildings being constructed in Valparaiso. Residents of the hills have protested because these structures block the view, negatively change the aspect of the city, and contribute to the destruction of the character of its original architecture which is single-family residences adapted to the topography.

No one seems to know for sure why the houses in Valparaiso are covered with corrugated sheet metal. One theory is that these sheets were used to cover bulk merchandise brought by the incoming ships. The locals immediately saw its value and started covering their houses to protect them against the inclement seaside weather.

No one seems to know for sure why the houses in Valparaiso are covered with corrugated sheet metal. One theory is that these sheets were used to cover bulk merchandise brought by the incoming ships. The locals immediately saw its value and started covering their houses to protect them against the inclement seaside weather.

Although technically only Chile’s 6th largest city, with an urban area population of about 280,000, the Greater Valparaíso metropolitan area, including the neighboring cities of Viña del Mar, Concón, Quilpué and Villa Alemana, is the second largest in the country (803,683 inhabitants).

Perhaps being born and raised in a multicolored neighborhood like Valparaiso stimulates the senses in such a way that the brain demands the constant production of artistic expression...

Demolish my past, sweeten my destiny... Drive me to despair right now... Urgently untie me, make me delirious, elusive and eternal... Infuse in me the desire to cry the seas out of my eyes... But don't pay attention to me, never pay attention to me.

A drop of love for each five verses... Three tablespoons of work each day of the year... A quart of inspiration and a quart of madness... One eight of laughter seasoned with irony... Half a cup of memories and one cup of reality... Two liters of instant tears and a dozen emotions... One hundred grams of fantasy, cero reason to taste... Add your hands and your lips, and mix in low heat for the rest of your life...

Because of its historical importance, natural beauty, and unique architectural legacy, Valparaíso was declared World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 2003.

Because of its historical importance, natural beauty, and unique architectural legacy, Valparaíso was declared World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 2003.

Because of its historical importance, natural beauty, and unique architectural legacy, Valparaíso was declared World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 2003.

In Chile, elementary education consists of three levels of two school years each. The curriculum is organized into three main sections: content, activities, and performance. In order to be accepted into secondary education, the student must be at least 12 years old and must have passed the 6th grade. The elementary school teacher is certified by the Ministry of Public Education, must be a citizen of Chile, and must be between 18 and 60 years old.

Due to the irregular topography of Valparaiso, which makes it difficult for large supermarkets to be built, residents of the "cerros" rely on small neighborhood shops to purchase their foodstuffs.

The south side of Plaza Sotomayor in Valparaiso is dominated by the petrol-blue "Edificio de la Comandancia Naval" (Naval Command building).

The Prat Wharf has turned into one of the most popular places in Valparaiso. Built in the year 1850 to transport passengers to and from Valparaiso, today it is the prime point for crane and container spotting along the seafront. It also offers to its visitors boat trips along the bay and is filled with craftsmen and artists who sell their products and creations.