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SANTIAGO, or SANTIAGO DE CHILE

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Originally appearing in Volume V24, Page 191 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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SANTIAGO, or SANTIAGO DE See also:CHILE  , a See also:city of See also:Chile, See also:capital of the See also:republic and See also:chief See also:town of a See also:province of the same name, on the Mapocho See also:river, a small tributary of the Maipu or Maipo,115 M . W. of See also:Valparaiso, in 330 26' 42" S., 700 40' 36" W . Pop . (1895) 256,413, (1900) 269,886, (1902, estimated) 322,059 . It is built on a wide, beautiful See also:plain about 186o ft. above See also:sea-level, between the See also:main range of the See also:Andes and the less elevated heights of See also:Cuesta del Prado . In the centre of the city rises the rocky See also:hill of See also:Santa See also:Lucia, once forming its citadel, but now converted into a See also:pleasure-ground, with winding walks, picturesque views, theatres, restaurants and monuments . Immediately N.N.W. and N.E. are other hills, known as Colina, Renca and See also:San Cristobal, and overshadowing all are the See also:snow-clad Andean peaks of La Chapa and Los Amarillos, visible from all parts of the city . The Mapocho, once the cause of destructive inundations (especially in 1609 and 1783), was enclosed with solid embankments during the See also:administration of Ambrosio O'See also:Higgins, and is now crossed by several handsome See also:bridges; the See also:oldest (1767-1779) of these has eleven See also:arches . See also:Santiago is laid out with See also:great regularity, and its comparatively broad straight streets See also:form parallelograms and enclose several handsome public squares, the Plaza de la Independencia, the Campo de Marte and others . The See also:principal streets have been repaved with See also:asphalt instead of the old cobblestone and Belgian See also:block pavements; See also:water is brought in through an See also:aqueduct (1865) 5 M. See also:long; and there are See also:tramway lines on all the principal streets . The See also:cathedral, facing on the Plaza de la Independencia, is the oldest of the churches . Originally erected by Pedro de See also:Valdivia, it was rebuilt by See also:Garcia Hurtado de See also:Mendoza, was destroyed by the See also:earthquake of 1647 and was rebuilt on a new See also:plan subsequent to 1748 .

It is 351 ft. long and 92 ft. wide, has only one See also:

tower and is not striking in See also:appearance . Its interior decorations, however, are See also:rich and in See also:good See also:taste . Among the other ecclesiastical buildings are the See also:church of San Augustin, erected in 1595 by Cristobal de See also:Vera, and in See also:modern times adorned with a pillared See also:portico; the churches of San Francisco, La Merced and Santo Domingo, dating from the 18th See also:century; the church of the Reformed See also:Dominicans, rich in monolithic See also:marble columns; the Carmen See also:Alto, or church of the Carmelite nunnery, an elegant little See also:Gothic structure; the See also:Augustine nunnery, founded by See also:Bishop See also:Medellin in 1576; the episcopal See also:palace; and the See also:chapel erected in 1852 to the memory of Pedro de Valdivia next to the See also:house in which he is reputed to have lived . There are two See also:fine cemeteries—one exclusively See also:Roman See also:Catholic and the other secularized . Mural interment is the See also:custom in Santiago . ' Among the See also:secular buildings the more noteworthy are the Capitol. with its rows of massive columns and surrounded with beautiful gardens; the Moneda, or executive See also:residence, which contains the offices of the See also:cabinet ministers also; the municipal palace; the courts, or palace of See also:justice; the See also:post See also:office and See also:telegraph See also:department; the exposition palace in the Quinta Normal, which houses the See also:national museum; the university of Chile, dating from 1842; the national library with over 100,000 volumes; the School of Arts and Trades (Lyceo de Artes y Oficios) ; the national conservatory of See also:music; the medical school; the astronomical See also:observatory; the national See also:institute; the See also:mint; and a municipal See also:theatre . There are also a military school, a school of See also:agriculture, See also:mining school, normal See also:schools and a number of charitable institutions . The old Universidad de San Felipe, founded in 1747, was closed in 1839, and was succeeded three years later by the See also:present national university . Facing the Capitol, which includes the two halls of See also:Congress, is a small See also:park and commemorative See also:shaft, marking the spot where stood the See also:Jesuits' church, burned down on the See also:night of the 8th of See also:December 1868, and with it " two thousand victims, more or less," chiefly See also:women . There is railway communication with Valparaiso, with Los Andes and the See also:international See also:tunnel and with the provincial capitals of the See also:south . Santiago was founded in 1541 by Pedro de Valdivia, who was engaged in the See also:conquest of Chile, and it received the See also:title of Santiago del Nuevo Estremo . It has suffered from earthquakes and from See also:political disorder .

After the defeat of the royalists at Chacabuco (Feb . 12th, 1817), it was occupied by the revolutionary forces under See also:

General Jose de San See also:Martin . Though the See also:scene of many revolutionary outbreaks, it has never been subjected to a See also:regular See also:siege . The province of Santiago, bounded N. by See also:Aconcagua, W. by Mendoza, S. by O'Higgins and See also:Colchagua and W. by Valparaiso and the Pacific, has an See also:area of 5665 sq. m and a See also:population (1895) of 415,636 . It forms See also:part of the " Vale of Chile," celebrated for its fertility and fine See also:climate .

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