Square, Plaza sights in Chile
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Plaza Sotomayor
The Plaza Sotomayor is the naval heart of the city, dominated by the impressive blue-colored palatial Edificio de la Comandancia Naval (Naval Command Building). In the middle of the square lies the Monumento a los Héroes de Iquique, a subterranean mausoleum paying tribute to Chile's naval martyrs. The Aduana Nacional (Customs House) and Estación Puerto, the terminal for Merval commuter trains, are also nearby. Muelle Prat, the pier at the foot of Plaza Sotomayor, is a lively place on weekends.
It has a helpful tourist kiosk and a tacky handicrafts market, the Feria de Artesanía. Small boats offer tours of the harbor (for a cost). Don't photograph any of the numerous…
reviewed
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A
Plaza Colón
The British community left a visible imprint on Antofagasta's 19th-century Plaza Colón, which sports rushing fountains amidst its palms, mimosas and bougainvilleas. The cute Torre Reloj is a replica of London's Big Ben; its chimes even have a baby Big Ben ring to them, and tiled British and Chilean flags intertwine on its trunk. Pigeons provide amusement slipping into the shallow fountains with comical regularity.
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B
Casa de la Cultura
Copiapó's mining heyday is evident throughout its town center. Shaded by century-old pepper trees, Plaza Prat is graced by several buildings from the early mining era, such as the musty old municipal Casa de la Cultura the elegant Iglesia Catedral, with its three-tiered tower. Watch out for the roving fortune-tellers, once they get started you'll have a hard time getting away.
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Plaza Matriz
Valparaíso's historic core, Plaza Matriz is directly uphill from the Mercado Central, where El Plan narrows and the distinctive architecture of the hills begins to take shape. The plaza's major landmark is the Iglesia Matriz, a national monument dating from 1842. It's the fourth church to occupy this site since the construction of the original chapel in 1559.
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C
Plaza Prat
The good ol' nitrate days are evident through Iquique's center. Its beautiful wooden-fronted 19th-century buildings also speak eloquently of foreign influences during the nitrate boom. The city's 19th-century swagger is especially hard to miss in Plaza Prat - the city's focus.
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D
Torre Reloj
The Torre Reloj is a tiny replica of London's Big Ben; its chimes even have a baby Big Ben ring to them, and tiled British and Chilean flags intertwine on its trunk. Pigeons provide amusement slipping into the shallow fountains with comical regularity.
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Plaza O'Higgins
The Plaza O'Higgins is the site of the Teatro Municipal (Municipal Theater) and hosts one of the city's best antiques market on weekends.
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E
Basílica del Salvador
A landmark in Barrio Brasil is the quake-damaged, neo-Gothic Basílica del Salvador dating from 1892. It is often closed, except on special occasions. West of the Vía Norte Sur, the previously neglected Barrio Brasil is enjoying a surge in popularity. Deserted decades ago by the well-heeled for supposedly more desirable residences in the east, many of the younger well-to-do are returning to enjoy the area's lively bohemian buzz.
The charming, verdant Plaza Brasil, with its towering spindly monkey puzzle tree, is the centerpiece. All walks of life, including the neighborhood's many students, come to hang out here on weekends.
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