Parque Isidora Cousiño, Historical park in Lota, Chile
Parque Isidora Cousiño is a 19th-century garden designed in the French style with more than 80 plant species from around the world arranged along curved pathways. The grounds include several structures such as a Chinese pavilion, a plant observatory, and a lighthouse, all with views toward the Gulf of Arauco.
Luis Cousiño Squella commissioned British designer Bartlet to create this garden between 1862 and 1872, presenting it as a gift to his wife Isidora Goyenechea. The project drew inspiration from European garden traditions and became one of the few French-style landscapes established on Chile's coast.
The park holds one of Chile's most significant collections of French cast iron sculptures and decorative pieces spread throughout its pathways. These works create an artistic landscape that reveals itself as visitors walk through the garden.
Wear comfortable shoes as the pathways wind through the entire grounds with some gentle elevation changes. The park sits on the coast and welcomes visitors throughout the year, though clear days offer the best views of the gulf.
The park was originally equipped with a meteorological observatory for weather observation, an unusual blend of garden and scientific function. This combination reveals how wealthy families of the 1800s wove together botany and modern science.
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