Santiago: Stories That Remain Alive

Did you know that Santiago was built on an ancient Inca settlement? Or that many names of communes and places in the city come from Mapudungun, the language of the Mapuche people that is still alive in Chile? In this tour, we will discover how history not only lives in museums but also in the streets, names, monuments, and everyday life of the city.

"Santiago: Stories That Remain Alive" is an experience designed for those who want to know Santiago from a more human, cultural, and historical perspective, connecting the past with the present and exploring stories that often do not appear in traditional tours.

We will start at Plaza de Armas, next to the Monument to the Indigenous People, to talk about pre-Hispanic Santiago and the presence of indigenous peoples in the valley before the arrival of the Spanish. During the tour, we will visit emblematic places such as the Monument to Pedro de Valdivia, the National Historical Museum, the Casa Colorada, the Municipal Theater, the National Library, and Santa Lucía Hill, but also less common spaces like the ruins of the old Cal y Canto Bridge, the Monument to the Heroes of Iquique, and the Plaza de los Libros.

Throughout the tour, we will talk about the Inca presence in Santiago, the colonial period, independence, the War of the Pacific, the Civil War of 1891, the dictatorship, and various historical processes that helped shape the current Chilean identity.

We will also explore the influence of Mapuche culture and Mapudungun in the city, observing how indigenous heritage remains alive in the language, gastronomy, names of communes, and many corners of Santiago. The tour ends with a visit to a Mapuche café near Santa Lucía Hill.

More than memorizing dates, the idea is to tour the city understanding how its history is still present in those who inhabit it today. I invite you to discover together the stories that remain alive in Santiago!