HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Avenida Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins ( en, General Liberator Bernardo O'Higgins Avenue), popularly known as La Alameda (meaning, a street bordered by poplar trees), is the main avenue of Santiago, Chile. It runs east-west in the center of the greater urban area and is long, and it has up to 5 lanes in each direction. It was named after
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
's
founding father The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...
Bernardo O'Higgins Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme (; August 20, 1778 – October 24, 1842) was a Chilean independence leader who freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. He was a wealthy landowner of Basque-Spanish and Irish ancestry. Alth ...
. It was originally a branch of the
Mapocho River The River Mapocho ( es, Río Mapocho) ( Mapudungun: ''Mapu chuco'', "water that penetrates the land") is a river in Chile. It flows from its source in the Andes mountains onto the west and divides Chile's capital Santiago in two. Course The Mapo ...
.


History

The avenue is located on the former stream bed of a branch of the Mapocho River, which was drying up between 1560 and 1580. Such landforms were known by the Spaniards as '' Cañadas'', and from there the origin of its initial name of ''Cañada''. For many decades it was used as a landfill site, until it was converted into a boulevard by Bernardo O'Higgins during the first years of independence of the country and was named as ''Alameda de las Delicias''.


Description

Alameda Avenue originates immediately west of the
Plaza Baquedano Plaza Baquedano, commonly known as Plaza Italia, is a major landmark in Santiago, Chile. The plaza was inaugurated in 1928, being crowned by a monument made by Chilean sculptor Virgínio Arias and featuring General Manuel Baquedano, giving the ...
, as a continuation of Providencia Avenue, and runs in a generally southwesterly direction until its junction with
Chile Route 68 Chile Route 68 (Ruta 68) is a highway in central Chile. It runs from Santiago to Valparaíso. Route description It begins at the western terminus of Avenida Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins. In its first kilometers the highway is strai ...
. The south section of the initial stretch of the avenue is dominated by a cluster of
tower block A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building, as opposed to a low-rise building and is defined differently in terms of height depending on the jurisdicti ...
s called ''Remodelación San Borja''. On the opposite side of the Alameda, the city blocks are characterized by a continuous building frontage. This urban design is broken by the
Centro Cultural Gabriela Mistral The Centro Cultural Gabriela Mistral (GAM) (formerly known as the Diego Portales Building) is a cultural center located on 227 Av. Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins, in Santiago de Chile. The complex was originally built to serve as the headquarters fo ...
. The corner of the Alameda and Portugal Avenue is home to the headquarters of the
Pontifical Catholic University of Chile The Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (''PUC or UC Chile'') ( es, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile) is one of the six Catholic Universities existing in the Chilean university system and one of the two pontifical universities i ...
. Heading west, the avenue skirts the southern edge of the
Cerro Santa Lucía Cerro is Spanish for "hill" or "mountain". Toponyms ;Bolivia: * Cerro Rico, the "Rich Mountain" containing silver ore near Potosi, Bolivia ;Brazil: * Cerro Branco, a municipality of Rio Grande do Sul *Cerro Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, a municip ...
. The following stretch of the Alameda consists of almost unbroken blocks of mostly office and commercial buildings interspersed with some historical buildings, including the
Biblioteca Nacional de Chile The National Library of Chile () is the national library of Chile. It is located on the Avenida Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins in Santiago, in a building completed in 1925, though its history reaches to the early nineteenth century before ...
, San Francisco Church, Club de la Unión and behind it the building housing the
Santiago Stock Exchange The Santiago Stock Exchange (SSE) ( es, Bolsa de Comercio de Santiago), founded on November 27, 1893, is Chile's dominant stock exchange, and the third largest stock exchange in Latin America, behind Brazil's BM&F Bovespa, and the Bolsa Mexicana ...
, as well as the old building serving as headquarters for the
University of Chile The University of Chile ( es, Universidad de Chile) is a public research university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded on November 19, 1842, and inaugurated on September 17, 1843.
, which faces the
Paseo Ahumada Paseo Ahumada is four-block-long street in downtown Santiago. It extends in a north–south direction from Plaza de Armas to the Avenida Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins and is lined by buildings housing retail establishments at their lower ...
. West of the just mentioned street and a half block north of the Alameda is located the
Edificio Ariztía Edificio Ariztía is a building located at 52 Nueva York Street in downtown Santiago, Chile, on a wedge-shaped city block. It was completed in 1921 and is considered the first "skyscraper" in Santiago. The building, constructed in reinforced co ...
. West of San Francisco Church, the Alameda's median widens to accommodate a park. The avenue bisects a large rectangular area lined with walls of government buildings, whose core portion is home to the
Palacio de la Moneda Palacio de La Moneda (, ''Palace of the Mint''), or simply La Moneda, is the seat of the President of the Republic of Chile. It also houses the offices of three cabinet ministers: Interior, General Secretariat of the Presidency and General Secre ...
. West of Amunátegui Street stands the
Torre Entel Torre Entel (Entel Tower) is the name of a high TV and telecommunications tower in Santiago, Chile. Torre Entel has an observation deck open for visitors. Construction began in 1970 during Eduardo Frei Montalva term as president and it was ina ...
, a landmark communication tower. The Norte-Sur axis of the
Autopista Central Autopista Central ("Central Highway", in Spanish) is a privatized, partially submerged highway in Chile forming part of the Ruta 5. It forms part of the urban highway network of Santiago, all of which incorporate a free flow toll system. Out of t ...
passes underneath Alameda. From here the average height of the buildings decreases significantly. Between Brasil Avenue and Cumming Avenue, it borders the
Barrio Concha y Toro Barrio Concha y Toro is a barrio located in Santiago, Chile. The neighborhood has a medieval-like street plan, whose design was influenced by the ideas of Camillo Sitte. The houses are built on the former site of the Díaz Gana Palace's park, wh ...
. Leaving the central district at Matucana Avenue, the Alameda enters into
Estación Central Estación Central ((), Spanish for "central station") is a commune of Chile located in Santiago Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region. Its namesake is the Estación Central railway station located in the commune. Demographics According to th ...
. The Santiago Estación Central railway station and the main campus of the University of Santiago are located here. Crossing Las Rejas Avenue, the avenue forms the boundary between Estación Central to the south and
Lo Prado Lo Prado () is a Chilean commune located in Santiago, which is itself part of the Metropolitan region of Chile. It is part of the Greater Santiago urban area. Demographics According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Lo P ...
to the north. The Alameda terminates at a partial Y interchange.


Monuments

La Alameda's principal monuments are dedicated to the military heroes in Chile's history. Near the
La Moneda Palace Palacio de La Moneda (, ''Palace of the Mint''), or simply La Moneda, is the seat of the President of the Republic of Chile. It also houses the offices of three cabinet ministers: Interior, General Secretariat of the Presidency and General Secreta ...
are the statues of
José de San Martín José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (25 February 177817 August 1850), known simply as José de San Martín () or '' the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru'', was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and centr ...
,
Manuel Bulnes Prieto Manuel Bulnes Prieto (; December 25, 1799 – October 18, 1866) was a Chilean military and political figure. He was twice President of Chile, from 1841 to 1846 and from 1846 to 1851. Born in Concepción, he served as the president of Chile bet ...
, and
Bernardo O'Higgins Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme (; August 20, 1778 – October 24, 1842) was a Chilean independence leader who freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. He was a wealthy landowner of Basque-Spanish and Irish ancestry. Alth ...
. Near the intersection of the
Autopista Central Autopista Central ("Central Highway", in Spanish) is a privatized, partially submerged highway in Chile forming part of the Ruta 5. It forms part of the urban highway network of Santiago, all of which incorporate a free flow toll system. Out of t ...
and La Alameda, there is erected the statue to the heroes of the
Battle of La Concepción The Battle of Concepción ( es, Batalla de Concepción) was a battle fought between Chilean and Peruvian forces on July 9 and July 10, 1882, during the Sierra Campaign of the War of the Pacific. Heavily outnumbered, the Chilean detachment of ...
. A beautiful mosaic was constructed at the edge of
Santa Lucía Hill Santa Lucía Hill ( es, Cerro Santa Lucía), also known in Mapuche as Huelén Hill ( es, Cerro Huelén), is a small hill in the centre of Santiago, Chile. It is situated between Alameda del Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins in the south, Santa Lu ...
in honor of the poet
Gabriela Mistral Lucila Godoy Alcayaga (; 7 April 1889 – 10 January 1957), known by her pseudonym Gabriela Mistral (), was a Chilean poet-diplomat, educator and humanist. In 1945 she became the first Latin American author to receive a Nobel Prize in Li ...
; there are also dozens of other monuments to persons of national and international importance along the central floe of La Alameda.


Santiago Metro

Underneath the avenue runs Line 1 (depicted on subway maps as ), the main line of the
Santiago Metro The Santiago Metro ( es, Metro de Santiago) is a rapid transit system serving the city of Santiago, the capital of Chile. It currently consists of seven lines (numbered 1-6 and 4A), 136 stations, and of revenue route. The system is managed by th ...
. The transit agency's headquarters are located at the corner of La Alameda and Lord Cochrane street. From west to east, the stations along La Alameda are: * Las Rejas *
Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...
* San Alberto Hurtado * Universidad de Santiago *
Estación Central Estación Central ((), Spanish for "central station") is a commune of Chile located in Santiago Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region. Its namesake is the Estación Central railway station located in the commune. Demographics According to th ...
* Unión Latinoamericana * República * Los Héroes *
La Moneda Palacio de La Moneda (, ''Palace of the Mint''), or simply La Moneda, is the seat of the President of the Republic of Chile. It also houses the offices of three cabinet ministers: Interior, General Secretariat of the Presidency and General Secre ...
*
Universidad de Chile The University of Chile ( es, Universidad de Chile) is a public research university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded on November 19, 1842, and inaugurated on September 17, 1843.
* Santa Lucía * Universidad Católica * Baquedano


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Avenida Libertador General Bernardo O'higgins Streets in Chile sv:Santiago de Chile#Geografi