Santa Lucía Hill, Urban park in central Santiago, Chile.
Santa Lucía Hill is a park on a rocky hill in central Santiago that rises 69 meters above street level and covers 65,300 square meters with stone fortifications, staircases, fountains, and winding paths. The site offers multiple viewing terraces, gardens with native plants and historical sculptures, and 19th-century buildings spread across different levels.
Pedro de Valdivia founded Santiago on February 12, 1541, at the base of this rocky outcrop the Mapuche called Huelén. Mayor Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna transformed the site into a public park between 1872 and 1874, adding staircases, gardens, and neoclassical structures to the military installations built during the Reconquista period.
The name comes from 1872, when mayor Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna replaced the indigenous term Huelén with Santa Lucía and turned the hill into a public park. The chapel at the top shows gothic forms and blends with neoclassical elements and ceramic work honoring Gabriela Mistral, creating a layered setting visitors discover along shaded paths during the climb.
The main entrance lies on Alameda Avenue and leads to viewing terraces, gardens, and shaded seating areas that stay comfortable on hot days. A cannon fires every day around noon, a ritual visitors can witness directly if they reach the upper areas in time.
Two military batteries built during the Reconquista period remain on the hill: Castillo González and Castillo Hidalgo. These fortifications were later woven into the park design and now serve as event spaces and historical lookouts with views over the city.
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