Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a major city, commune, seaport, and naval base facility in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. Valparaíso was originally named after Valparaíso de Arriba, in Castile-La Mancha, Spain.
Greater Valparaíso is the second-most populous metro area in the country. Valparaiso is the second-largest city in the metro area. It is located about northwest of Santiago, by road, and is one of the Pacific Ocean's most important seaports. Valparaíso is the capital of Chile's second most-populated administrative region and has been the Chilean Navy headquarters since 1817, as well as being the seat of the National Congress of Chile since 1990.
Valparaíso played an important geopolitical role in the second half of the 19th century when it served as a major stopover for ships traveling between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans via the Straits of Magellan. The area experienced rapid growth during its golden age as a magnet for European immigrants, when the city was known by international sailors as "Little San Francisco" and "jewel of the Pacific". Notable developments during this bustling period include Latin America's oldest stock exchange, the continent's first volunteer fire department, Chile's first public library, and the oldest Spanish language newspaper in continuous publication in the world, El Mercurio de Valparaíso. In 2003, the historic quarter of Valparaíso was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The twentieth century was unfavorable to Valparaíso, as many wealthy families abandoned the city. The opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, and the associated reduction in ship traffic, dealt a serious blow to the region's shipping- and port-based economy. By the 21st century, the port of San Antonio had surpassed Valparaíso in trade volume handled, leading to the questioning of its traditional moniker of Puerto Principal of Chile.
Between 2000 and 2015, the city experienced a recovery, attracting artists, tourists, and cultural entrepreneurs, who settled after they were attracted by the city's hillside historic districts. Today, many thousands of people visit Valparaíso each month, from Chile and abroad to enjoy the city's labyrinth of cobbled alleys and colorful buildings. The Port of Valparaíso still continues to be a major distribution center for container traffic, copper, and fruit exports. It also receives growing attention from cruise ships that visit during the South American summer. Most significantly, Valparaíso has transformed itself into a major educational and entertainment hub, with four large traditional universities, and several large vocational colleges.
While the city is well-known for its artisans and bohemian culture, it is also famous as the home of several highly-regarded music festivals and other artistic events. The largest, and arguably most iconic, is the annual Viña Del Mar International Song Festival. Typically held in March, in a recently refurbished, 40,000-capacity amphitheater, "Viña" is one of the biggest annual economic boosts to the region, as the event usually sells-out completely, and thousands of attendees and workers will travel to and stay in the city and metro area. In addition to showcasing numerous performers of many styles, and awarding various prizes, the internationally-televised and live-streamed festival is typically headlined by superstar musicians, from both the Spanish- and English-speaking worlds.
History
Some older works starting with Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna claim that Valparaíso was within the range of the Chango people, but clear evidence for this is lacking.The Bay of Valparaíso's first ethnically identifiable population were Picunche natives, known for their agriculture. Spanish explorers, considered the first European discoverers of Chile, arrived in 1536, aboard the Santiaguillo, a supply ship sent by Diego de Almagro. The Santiaguillo carried men and supplies for Almagro's expedition, under the command of Juan de Saavedra, who named the town after his native village of Valparaíso de Arriba in Cuenca Province, Spain.
During Spanish colonial times, Valparaíso remained a small village, with only a few houses and a church. On some occasions she was attacked by English pirates and privateers, such as Francis Drake with his ship Golden Hind in 1578 and later his cousin Richard Hawkins with his ship Dainty in 1594. Drake's sack of Valparaíso gave origin to the legend about Cueva del Pirata.
In 1810, a wealthy merchant built the first pier in the history of Chile and the first during the colonial era. In its place today, stands the building of El Mercurio de Valparaíso. The ocean then rose to this point. Reclamation of land from the sea moved the coastline five blocks away. Between 1810 and 1830, he built much of the existing port of the city, including much of the land reclamation work that now comprises the city's commercial center. In 1814, the naval Battle of Valparaíso was fought offshore of the town, between American and British ships involved in the War of 1812. After Chile's independence from Spain, beginning the Republican Era, Valparaíso became the main harbour for the nascent Chilean navy, and opened international trade opportunities that had been formerly limited to Spain and its other colonies.
Valparaíso soon became a desired stopover for ships rounding South America via the Straits of Magellan and Cape Horn. It gained particular importance supporting and supplying the California gold rush. As a major seaport, Valparaíso received immigrants from many European countries, mainly from Britain, Germany, France, Switzerland, and Italy. German, French, Italian, and English were commonly spoken among its citizens, who founded and published newspapers in these languages.
Valparaíso found maritime competition with Callao. Both cities sought to be the dominant port on the Pacific Coast of South America during the period of time known as the High Trade. The British community, La Colonia Britanica, prospered in Valparaíso between the 1820s and 1920s. Firms such as Antony Gibbs & Sons, Duncan Fox, and Williamson-Balfour Company were doing business in the town, which had become a significant trading center by 1840, with 166 British ships, out of a total of 287, anchored in its port. The British settled on Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción. The Association of Voluntary Firemen was created in 1851, a telegraph service to Santiago was operating by 1852, and Chile's first telephone service was set up in 1880. The British Hospital was founded in 1897, and the British Arch, Arco Británico, was erected in 1911. However, by 1895, Italian immigrants exceeded the British, and both the Italians and Germans were in larger numbers by 1907. By 1920, both the Italians and Spanish outnumbered the British, and the primary British community within Chile resided in Santiago.
International immigration transformed the local culture from Spanish origins and Amerindian origins, in ways that included the construction of the first non-Catholic cemetery of Chile, the Dissidents' Cemetery. Football was introduced to Chile by English immigrants; and the first private Catholic school in Chile, Le Collège des Sacrés Cœurs and its accompanying Sacred Hearts Church, by French immigrants. Immigrants from Scotland and Germany founded the first private secular schools. Immigrants formed the first volunteer fire-fighting units. Their buildings reflected a variety of European styles, making Valparaíso more varied than some other Chilean cities.
On 16 August 1906, a major earthquake struck Valparaíso; there was extensive property damage and thousands of deaths. The Chilean doctor, Carlos Van Buren, of U.S. descent, was involved in the medical care of earthquake victims. He later established the Hospital Carlos Van Buren in 1912.
The golden age of Valparaíso's commerce ended after the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914. Shipping shifted to the canal as captains sought to avoid the risks of the Strait of Magellan. The port's use and traffic declined significantly, causing a decline in the city's economy. The opening of the Panama Canal was one of the most critical events in the shaping of Valparaío's economy. Since the turn of the 21st century, shipping has increased in the last few decades with fruit exports, opening the Chilean economy to world commerce, and larger-scale, Post-Panamax ships that do not fit the Panama Canal.
19th century
On 28 March 1814, the USS Essex was defeated by British frigates Phoebe and Cherub during the War of 1812, leading to the deaths of 58 US Marines. Captain David Porter, a survivor of this attack, retired to Portersville, Indiana and requested to change the name to Valparaiso, commemorating the only naval battle he ever lost. By 2 August 1820, the Liberating Expedition of Peru sailed from Valparaíso.At 10:30 pm on the evening of 19 November 1822, Valparaíso experienced a violent earthquake that left the city in ruins; of the 16,000 residents, casualties included at least 66 adults and 12 children, as well as 110 people wounded. The next day, a meteor trail was visible from Quillota to Valparaíso, seen as a religious experience for much of the population. In 1826, the Royal Navy Great Britain established a South America Station in Valparaíso to maintain British naval interest in the region. It remained until 1865, when it was moved to Esquimalt, British Columbia. On 12 September 1827, El Mercurio de Valparaíso, the oldest circulating newspaper in the Spanish language worldwide, was established.
In May 1828, a constitutional convention began regular meetings in the church of San Francisco. By August 9, the Constitution of the Republic of Chile was fully drafted and disseminated. On 6 June 1837, Minister Diego Portales was shot on orders of Captain Santiago Florín at the port by Baron Hill on suspicion of promoting conspirators who opposed the Peru-Bolivian Confederation, considered a turning point of Chilean public opinion and the purpose of the war.
By 1851, the first fire brigade in the country was formed. In 1852, potable running water became available, as well as the first telegraph service in Latin America, between the city and Santiago. Four years later streetlights with 700 gas lanterns, were installed. In 1861, the first tram company was formed, mostly using horses or mules to draw them, and fully established over the next few years. In 1852, British shipping company Williamson, Balfour & Cía was established in Valparaíso to handle trade in the region.
Taking advantage of the total lack of defenses, a Spanish fleet commanded by Casto Méndez Núñez bombarded the city during the Chincha Islands War in 1866. Chilean merchant ships were sunk, except for those vessels whose captains hoisted foreign flags. A merger of the National Steamship Company and Chilean Steamship Company, the South American Steamship Company was created as a national response to the increasing dominance of the Pacific Steam Navigation Company in 1872. In 1880 the Chilean Telephone Company was formed by Americans Joseph Husbands, Peter MacKellar, James Martin, and the U.S. consul Lucius Foot, the first official telephone company in the country. Three years later on the first of December, Concepción funicular opened, the first of many hydraulic systems. After the country's independence and its consequent openness to international trade, Valparaíso became an important port of call on trade routes through the Eastern Pacific. Many immigrants settled there, mostly from Europe and North America, and they helped include Valparaíso and Chile in the Industrial Revolution sweeping other parts of the world. That created a different city with civil, financial, commercial, and industrial institutions, many of which still exist today.
Population increases resulted. The city reached more than 160,000 inhabitants in the late nineteenth century, making it necessary to use the steep hills for more houses, mansions and even cemeteries. The lack of available land caused the city authorities and developers to reclaim low lying tidal marshland upon which to build administrative, commercial and industrial infrastructure.