Castillo Hidalgo, Fort on Santa Lucia hill, Santiago, Chile

Castillo Hidalgo sits at the top of Santa Lucia Hill with stone walls and bastions that command views across Santiago. The fortress features multiple pathways that connect different observation points overlooking the city and surrounding landscape.

Built in 1816 on the summit of Santa Lucía Hill by order of Casimiro Marcó del Pont, governor during the Reconquista, it was first called Batería Santa Lucía and designed for the city's defence under Brigadier Manuel Olaguer Feliú of the Royal Corps of Engineers. After independence it was renamed after Manuel Hidalgo, a captain killed at the Battle of Chacabuco.

The fortress was converted into a history museum in 1874, first displaying colonial-era objects and later hosting the Museum of American Popular Art. The transition shows how the site evolved from military use to cultural preservation.

Reaching the fortress requires walking up the hill, with several resting areas and platforms available along the way. The paths are clearly marked, though the climb demands physical effort, especially during warmer months.

The electric railway that ran from 1902 to 1910 was not a rack railway: it climbed Santa Lucía Hill on tracks to reach the castle, then continued to the Teatro Santa Lucía at today's Terraza Caupolicán. The service ended when the theatre disappeared.