O'Higgins Park (, previously known as Parque Cousiño), covering approximately , is

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

's second largest public park after Metropolitan Park. It is situated in the center of the capital city, within the Santiago Commune. Named after Bernardo O'Higgins, one of

's founding fathers, the park is a popular destination for families on weekends and holidays, particularly during the national holiday on September 18, when traditional gathering places for dancing, eating, and drinking, called '' fondas'' and '' ramadas'', are open to the public for a few days. From 2011 and 2019, O’Higgins Park served as the location of the annual Lollapalooza Chile music festival.

History

The present-day O’Higgins Park is the result of gradual evolution over its history. The site, originally called ''Pampilla'' or ''El Llano'', was a flat open space between the modern-day Santa Rosa and San Ignacio streets, where people gathered to celebrate '' Fiestas Patrias'', Chile's national day. The government bought the land in 1845 and used the southern portion for state buildings, including a jail. In 1870, it gave the northern portion of the terrain to Chilean politician, entrepreneur and philanthropist Luis Cousiño. Inspired by the parks he saw in

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, he decided to create one in his own city and contracted French landscaper Guillermo Renner to shape it into parkland. The park was inaugurated by his widow Isidora Goyenechea in 1873 and was named ''Parque Cousiño'' in his honor.

Movistar Arena

In 1956, work began on an indoor stadium inside O’Higgins Park which would eventually become the largest covered arena in Chile. Construction started but then stalled, leaving only the bare structure of the stadium complete until 1999, when the roof was finally completed. After further delays, the stadium at last opened to the public in 2006 as the Arena Santiago. In 2008, Telefonica’s cellphone division Movistar bought the naming rights and the stadium became the Movistar Arena.

Religious events

On 19 December 1926, the Church in Chile used Cousiño Park for a ceremony to crown an image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Chile’s

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

, led by Benedetto Aloisi Masella, the papal

nuncio An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...

to the country. The painting used in the ceremony is preserved in Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral and is carried through the streets of Santiago on the last Sunday of September each year. In 1987,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

visited Chile and led a

beatification Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the p ...

ceremony in O’Higgins Park for Saint Teresa of Los Andes. The ceremony had to be suspended when violence broke out between the Carabineros de Chile (Chilean police force and gendarmerie) and crowds protesting

Augusto Pinochet Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean military officer and politician who was the dictator of Military dictatorship of Chile, Chile from 1973 to 1990. From 1973 to 1981, he was the leader ...

’s military dictatorship. The situation calmed and the pope, believed to be a supporter of Chile’s return to democracy, concluded his address with the words “love is stronger”.

Davis Cup controversy

In 2000, the Arena Santiago in O’Higgins Park played host to a tie tennis match between Chile and Argentina as part of the Davis Cup. During the second singles match between Nicolás Massú and Mariano Zabaleta, the crowd reacted violently, throwing objects on the court and forcing Argentina to withdraw.

Lollapalooza Chile

In November 2010, musician and Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell announced that the first overseas version of the rock festival would take place in O’Higgins Park, Santiago. The inaugural Lollapalooza Chile took place on 2–3 April 2011 and drew a crowd of about 100,000, with venues including the park's Movistar Arena, La Elipse, and La Cupula Theater. Lollapalooza Chile has returned annually since then, most recently on 16–18 March 2018.

Infrastructure

The park is located next to Parque O'Higgins metro station and near Santiago's Autopista Central highway. Key structures and facilities include: The Movistar Arena, one of the largest multi-use stadia in South America. Campo de Marte, also known as ''La Elipse'' (), where a military parade takes place every September 19 for the Day of the Glories of the Army. El Pueblito (), where visitors can find shops, craft stalls and museums, including the Museum of the Huaso and the Insect and Snail Museum. Fantasilandia, the biggest amusement park in Chile, located in the Olympic pool park's northwestern corner.Prmera piedra de la piscina olmpica
latercera June 08, 2012, retrieved on March 22, 2015 There is also a public pool, a roller-skating field, a skate park, tennis courts, a soccer field, a theater and an artificial lake, with walking trails crossing the length of the park.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:O'Higgins Park Parks in Santiago, Chile Urban public parks Skateparks in Chile