Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)/Santiago (capital of Chile)

SANTIAGO, or SANTIAGO DE CHILE, the capital of Chile and of the province of Santiago, situated near the River Maipo in the central valley between the Andes and the coast range, 69 miles S. E. of Valparaiso. The site is picturesque, with a lofty inclosure of mountains filling the horizon. In the east the white summit of Aconcagua with some lesser heights of the Andes may be seen. The city itself is undulating and its central part is the red porphyry hillock of Santa Lucia, the stronghold of the first settlers besieged by the Arauconion Indians. It has magnificent streets and buildings, with highly developed street railways. The great apartment houses and private dwellings are extremely artistic and luxurious and its boulevards, among them the Alameda, are among the finest in America. The Hall of Congress, Exposition Palace, opera house, cathedral, University building, National library, National museum are all magnificent buildings. Pop. (1918) 415,641.