Historical center of Santiago and nearby

Huge Plaza de Armas has a little bit of everything, from art sellers, chess and checkers players, people resting in the shade of large trees, and great street musicians, many of them Andean. I am always impressed with how many wonderful violinists and other classical musicians there are,

The pedestrian streets are very clean and lots of fun! This band was great!

The beautiful neoclassical cathedral on Plaza de Armas is very large and well-attended in this 99% Catholic country, especially during Lent. It was completed in 1800, but received renovations until about 1900. Previous cathedrals of the arch diocese had been destroyed by earthquakes.

In the National archives is a wonderful display about Chilean Independence, 1818, which was linked to many other Latin American countries with such leaders as Bolivar and San Martin and Chile's Bernardo O'Higgins. 

Santiago's oldest church, St. Francis, was built in 1572 and has a gorgeous ceiling and stone walls. The cloister was added soon after.

Small Cerro (hill) Santa Lucia (remnant of an ancient volcano) is thus named because  Pedro de Valdivia conquered it on December 13, 1540. It was used as a lookout in the Spanish Conquista days. In 1816, 2 forts (one is Fort Hidalgo) outfitted with cannons were built of stone and lime, on the other side was a cemetery for "dissidents" (non-Catholics), since transferred to the General Cemetery. The current buildings are from 1872.

View from the tiny top of the Santa Lucia hill. It was a hot climb, but we appreciated the view and the size of Santiago with its 7.3 million people.

For more photos, with descriptions, please click the link below:
https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipNspILcCfdKDdxIp6QjuT7LwYjw1tGPKLNvzkYI

Life is good here. It is very much still summer with wonderful inexpensive fruits and vegetables sold at the many stands along the streets.  I am finally starting to know names, faces, and make connections, find my way around on the wonderful metro and some of the buses without always looking at a map.  

School starts tomorrow, but I don't know how that will affect temple attendance. It is a joy to participate in baptisms with the youth and adults, weddings, temple ordinances received for those amazing young people about to serve missions, the sealing ordinances which allow families to be eternal. I am so grateful for the beautiful plan that our loving Heavenly Father has for each of us if we are loving, helpful and understanding of our fellow beings, if we follow basic commandments and honor our covenants with Him. I love being a part of His work, doing my small part.

Love,

Hermana de Schweinitz