Trains, trams and town squares

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Anniversary lights and shadows
The ce lebrati on of the Centenni al of Chil e's lndependence in September 191O
gave ri se to more expectati ons th an accompli shm ents and, after the obli gatory
pa ra des, speec hes and banqu ets the city return ed to its form er state. No
proposa l or overarchi ng project was launched to make Sa nti ago the capital of
an esta bl ished republi c. Somehow, the city adva nced accordin g to the ideas
promoted by lntendant Benj amín Vicuña Macken na in 1872, with progress
made on the impl ementati on of new transit and communi cation systems as
well as public se rvices, and the city was allowed to co ntinue its rapi d growth
without ord er or co herence, with out co ncern for whether or not thi s growth
was a sign of pro gress or poor deve lop ment.
More people, more municipalities
The 256,000 inhabitants of Santi ago in 189 5 grew to 332,000 by 1907 and
around 365,000 by 1910. 1 The city, which i ~ 1872 was a relative ly neat rectang le
th at sought to surro und itse lf with a be ltway, had taken on a compl ex shape
that sprea d unplanned to the east, west and so uth. The Law of the Autonomous
Muni cipa lity (Ley de Comuna Autónoma) enacted in 1891 led to the creation
of new municipa lities with mixed urba n and rura l lands. Betwee n 189 1 and
190 1 the muni cipa lities of Ñuñoa, Providencia, Las Condes, Renca, Ba rrancas,
Maipú, Sa n Miguel, La Florida, La Granj a and Puente Alto were estab lished on
lands ori gina ll y be long ing to Santiago, and each of them tended to estab lish
its own urba n hu bs that attracted both residents and businesses. 2 The latter
was espec iall y important, as a so urce of employment was more than just an
attracti on; it was a necessity for th e eve r-gro wing populati on: Minin g at La
Di sputada and El Vo lcá n, industri es in Providencia and Pu ente Alto, electri c
rail way wo rks in the Ma ipo Va ll ey, and agriculture in Sa n Berna rd o, Buin and
Melipill a, ali were se rviced by ra ilway trains. 3
~
Santiago and its environs. Plan of the Santiago Val ley with
its irriga tion canals, commissioned by the Sociedad del
Ca nal de Maipo. Drawing by engineer Agustín Rengi fo,
pub lished in Santiago in 1902 . Biblioteca Naciona l de
Chile, Sa nti ago.
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Trains, trams and town squares
The railway li ne helped to extend the city. By 1895 the
tra in to Pirque was in operation, d'eparting from Providencia
Station in the Plaza Colón . Soon the Sa n Enrique line was
added, runnin g along the ri ve rbank to the brewe ry next
to the San Carlos Ca nal. To connect the Providencia and
Central stations, the Ring Rai lway was created in 1899 and
included stops at Matadero and Sa n Diego, along wh ich
large shantytowns sprang up. 4 While the railway and the
gas pipeline were the nineteenth century symbols of
modernity, the te lep hone, paved roads, cars and electricity
were the twentieth century's symbols.
Modern tim es caught up with the "carros de sangre"
(horse-drawn tram cars), which were exchanged for
electrica lly-powered ones. In 1900 the first lin e of electri c
trol ley buses began operating along Bandera and San Pablo
streets, and despite predictions from sorne quarters-"this
is going to end badly, because something that moves
-
...... Pirque or Providencia Station. Built by the architect Emilio
jecquier at the Plaza Italia around 1908. Tinted postcard,
ca. 191 O. Museo Histórico Nacional, Santiago.
~
176 -
Calle Ahumado. Oil painting by artisl Enrique Lynch, 1902.
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Santiago.
without us knowing how has to be a thing of the devil"-the new system was
extended throughout the capital. 5 The trol ley bus network was soon linked with.
the rail way network, reaching San Bernardo in 1902, Tobalaba and Pedro de
Valdivia avenues in 1905, Los Guindos in 1906 and Barrancas in 1908. 6
~
Matadero tram on Arturo Pral stree t. Photographer
unknown, 1920. Arch ivo Chilectra, Santiago.
~
Monument to the ltalian Colony in Plaza Italia. Photograph
by Aure li ano Vera (at.), ca. 1915. Museo Histórico
Nacional, Santiago.
•
Plaza de Armas-Toba laba tram. Photographer unknown,
ca. 1920. Museo Histórico Nacional, Santiago.
The expanding network of railway lines, destinations and passenger traffic prompted
the creation of new public squares, which became majar city landmarks and
established the identity of the new districts that grew up around them. Thus,
Plaza Colón was built in 1892, renamed Plaza Italia in 191 o and a little later,
Baquedano. The Plaza Ñuñoa emerged in 1894 and one year later, the Plaza
Pedro de Valdivia. In 1901 the Plaza Vicuña Mackenna was inaugurated at the
foot of Santa Lucía Hill, and in 1906 the Plaza Brasil opened. 7 Growing traffic and
the vol ume of passengers riding trolley buses torced the closure of stops at the
Plaza de Armas, where they were causing congestion. The stops were moved in
front of the city market, on land that had been reclaimed from the river.
- 179 -
..... Trams at Mapocho Station. Photographer unknown, ca.
1915. Museo Histórico Nacional, Santiago..
~ Couple conversing. Engraving by unknown artist, published
by Lira Popular, San tiago, ca. 1900. Archivo de Literatura
Oral y Tradiciones Popu lares, Biblioteca Nacional de
Chile, Santiago.
~ Neighborhood around the Central Market. Photographer
unknown, co. 1900. Museo Histórico Nacional, Santiago.
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Riverside lands
Th e cha nn elin g of the Mapocho River's wate rs, partially
conc lud ed in 189 1, created extensive tracts of land in
the heart of the city. On the south bank of the river the
Square of the Tro ll eys was created alongside the market
and quickly became a lively transit hub. Facing this, with
the river running between, the fruit and vegetable market
known as the "Vega del Mapocho" was expanded, and
from 1895 onwards large buildings were constructed
to accommodate the carts, producers and farmers who
congregated there. 8
Servin g a simil ar function and justas lively as Trol ley or
Market Sq uare was the so -cal led Plaza Argentina or Plaza
Estación, in front of th e Central Station. This place was
always throng ing with trolley buses and coaches that
we lcomed-or rather bewildered-travelers arri vin g in the
capita l. There, too, was the Hotel Melossi, immortalized in
many sto ri es and in the history of Ch il ean sport, as it was
there that the country's first boxing club operated in 1899. 9
Both squares we re lined with banks, shops, hote ls,
restaurants, bars and brothels. Su rround in g them were
roug h neighborhoods where, among other things, the
so-ca ll ed "As ian cafés" offe red both liquor and "women
of ill repute." In 1899 there were 24 "dating hou ses"
(brothels) in the block bounded by San Antonio, Bandera,
Santo Domingo and San Pablo streets. 10
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- ~
The social issue
In general terms, the heart of the city was organized but the bulk of it was .
disorganized and surrounded by poverty. The city center looked to Europe,
seei ng nothing beyo nd its edges, disengaged from the rural wo rld where
dirt and grave! roads led to primitive living quarters (ranchos) built of cane,
wooden boards and zinc sheets, orto blank-faced tenements that hid inner
courtyards lined with was hing troughs, clotheslines and barefooted children .
The city became a literary motif. Luis Orrego Luco's novel Un idilio nuevo
(A new id yll, 1900) used the capital as a backdrop, portrayed in fine detail
and li ving color.Juana Lucero (1902), Augusto D'Halmar's nove l, was set in
the Yungay district. Casa Grande (1908), also by Orrego Luco, plays out in
elegant carriages on the paved streets of downtown Santiago. The capital was
also the setting for the works of later writers such as José Santos Gorizález
Ve ra, Carlos Sepúlveda Leyto n, Alberto Romero and Nicomedes Guzmán.
- 182 -
...._ Tenement on Avenida Brasil. Photographer unknown, 1920.
Archivo Chilectra, Santiago.
~
Shops at the corner of Alameda and San Antonio streets.
Photographer unknown, ca. 1910. Museo Histórico Nacional,
Santiago.
~
First edition of )uono Lucero, published by Imprenta y
Litografia Turin, San tiago, 1902. Biblioteca Nacional de
Chile, Santiago.
In the capital, the twentieth century dawned with dramatic expressions of
misery and discontent that brought to the fore an urgent challenge for the
country: "the social issue," which remained relati ve ly unacknowledged . In
May 1903 a huge meeting of wo rkers was staged in front of the station in
the Plaza Argentin a where, according to police, several speakers-inc lu ding
one woman-"attempted to incite the people to revolt and to rise up aga inst
the authorit ies and the soc ial order-" 11 Later, in October 1905, a tax on the
importation and price of meat prompted a protest of 25,000-50,000 people,
many of whom gathered in front of the palace of government . Wh il e a
group left to speak with President Riesco, who was at his residence, othe rs
caused disturbances and confusion that led to the intervention of firefighters
and armed vol unteers. At the end of this so-ca ll ed "red week" or "meat
strike" the dead numbered more than two hundred .12
/111f.
- 183 -
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Architecture
The core of the capital, and the heart of the country,
was a small triangular-shaped district overflowing with
activity and architecture and bordered by the Alameda,
Santa Lucía Hill, the river and Teatin os street. At its center
was the central sq uare, th e Plaza de Armas, the meetin g
place of powers: land, sky and mode rnity. From rig ht to
left stood the buildings of the Ce ntral Post Office, the
Telegrap h Office, the lllustriou s Mu ni cip ality building,
shopping centers, the Archbishop's Palace and lastl y the
Metropolitan Cathedral.
• • pp. 184-185. El niño enfermo (The sick child). Oíl painting by
Pedro Lira, 1902. Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Santiago.
• París Pavillion, built by Henri Picq to house the Chilean
pavillion at the París lnternational Exhibition in 1889.
Moved to Chile and installed in the Quinta Normal, it
now houses Arlequín interactive art museum.
..... Virgin Mary statue on San Cristóbal Hill. Modeled after the
statue of the lmmaculate Virgin in the Plaza España by
Giuseppe Obici. Made of cast iron from Val D'Osne, France,
thanks to the generous contributions of the citizens of
Santiago. Photograph by Obder Heffer, ca. 191 O. Centro
Nacional del Patrimonio Fotográfico, Santiago.
The old church th at Toesca had built was complete ly
remod eled under th e direction of lt ali an arc hitect
Cremonesi . lt was opened in 1906 with two slim towe rs
on the main fa~ade anda high dome above the main altar
that became a landmark of the city's sky lin e. Valparaíso
architect Ramón Fehrm ann wo rked on the fa~ade of the
Post Office and French architect Eugenio joannon on the
-1 87-
... ...
fa~ade
of the Municipal building n The central square was
a/so remodeled, its orderly nineteenth century design
replaced by an "English sty le" garden complete with
meandering paths interspersed with ponds.
The earthquake of 1906, which destroyed Va/paraíso, also
affected the growing popu lation density of the capita/'s
downtown core, permanent ly changing the construction
system. The night of terror that the Santiaguinos
experienced after the earthquake, as they slept outside
or in vehicles parked in city squares and avenues, led to
a drastic change .14
•
Undurraga Building, at the comer of Alameda and Estado
stree ts, designed by Catalonian architect José Forteza in
1913. Photographer unknown, ca. 1925. Museo Histórico
Nacional, Santiago.
•
Courts of justice on the Plaza Mon tt Varas, built by architect
Emilio Doyere between 1905 and 1925. Photographer
unknown, ca. 1915. Museo Histórico Nacional, San tiago.
~
Cement, reinforced concrete and metal frame wo rks
beca me popular, although these were not new: In 1892
a metal building designed by architect joannon for Mrs.
Enriqueta jara had been erected in the Plaza de Armas.
A year later, metal bridges were built over channels of
the Ma pocho River. In 1894, the metal building that had
housed Chile's pavillion at the 1889 Paris lnternational
Exhibition arrived in Chile di~assembled, and was rebuilt
lñiguez Building, at the comer of Alameda and Dieciocho
stree ts, designed by architects Rica rd o Larraln Bravo and
Alberto Cruz Montt. Photographer unknown, ca. 1920.
Museo Hi stórico Nacional, santiago.
- 188 -
at the Quinta Normal. In 1900, the Central Station rail way
platforms were covered with a huge metal roof made in
Fran ce by Schneider Creusot .15 Eve n the Virgin Mary that
crowned San Cristóbal Hill on the Feast of the lmmaculate
Conception in 1908 was made out of metal, despite its
transcendent and spiritual mission-to safeguard the city
and its inh ab itants. 16
Santiago in 1900 remained interested in architecture and
European architects, including )oannon and Doyere from
France, Provasoli and Cremonesi of ltaly and Forteza of
Spain. Nevertheless, the period also saw the emergence of
prominent Chilean architects such as Alberto Cruz Montt,
Ricardo Larraín, Josué Smith Solar, Carlos Barroilhet and
Manuel Cifuentes, whose commissions included many
major wo rks.
the Alameda, one on the corner of Dieciocho street and
the other on the corner of Estado; the Portal Edwards, also
on the Alameda; the 'Bo lsa de Comercio' (Santiago Stock
Exc hange) on Bandera street; and Estación Providencia
(also known as Estación Pirque) on the former Plaza Colón.
Others included the Palacio de los Tribunal es ("Pa lace
of the Courts") on Montt Varas plaza, Es.tación Mapocho
train station and the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of
Fine Arts), th e latter two possibly the most emblematic
structures of Chile's Centennial. 11 & 18
During this period the construction of family mansions
diminished while the number of apartment, commercial
and public buildings increased. Buildings constructed at
this time include the lñiguez and Undurraga buildings on
-1 89 -
~ --:--
The Palace of Fine Arts
and Mapocho Station
Th e Bellas Artes building was built on lands reclaimed
from the ri ver and saved from the period 's booming real
estate market. Althoug h there was pressure to subdivide
the land to build housing, the good judgment of lntendent
Enri que Cousiño and othe r distinguished res id ents such
as Paulina Alfonso preva il ed. In 1894, landscape arch itect
jorge Dubois subm itted his proposa l for creating a park,
called the Forestal, in the space made available after the
river was channe led, and began planting the oriental
plane trees that have lent the place its unique character. 19
In 1905 the park was identified as the most suitable site
for bui lding a fine arts museum and schoo l. A competition
was tendered and arch itect Emilio jeq ui er was awarded
the design. Upon its inauguration in September 191 Othe
~~
p. 190. Santiago Stock Exchange on Calle Bandera, built by
archilect Emilio jecquier in 1917. Photograph by Aureliano
Vega (at.), ca. 1920. Museo Histórico Nacional, santiago.
~~
p. 191. Portal Edwards commercia l ga llery on Alameda
Avenue, designed by arch itect Carlos Barroilhet in 1901.
Photograph by juan M. Sepúlveda (al.), 1910. Museo
Histórico Nacional, Santiago.
Santiago Municipal Building on the Plaza de Armas. Th e
ra,ade was designed by architect Eugenio Joannon in
189S. Photographer unknown, ca. 1925. Prívate collection.
~
lnauguration of the Palacio de Bellas Artes during the
Centennial celebrations. Photographer unknown, 1910.
Museo Histórico Nacional, Santiago.
.... Exhibit of paintings and sculptu res in the Museo de Bellas
Artes in the Qu inta Normal. Pho tog·rapher unknown, ca.
1900. Museo Histórico Naciona l, Santiago.
- 193 -
¡
Palacio de Bellas Artes became an emblem of the Centennial ce lebratio ns,
with its grand glass cupola illuminatin g an international art exh ibit that was
mounted to commemorate Ch il e's 100-year anniversa ry.20
Mapocho Station also was erected on land reclaimed from the ri ver and, like the
Fine Arts build ing, was designed by jequier, who subm itted the winning design in
a competition. The building was begun in 1905 and its inaugu ration planned for
the Centenn ial, but difficulties in laying the foundation delayed the project, which
cou ld not be completed until 1912. The station became Santiago's international
terminal for both passengers arriving from Va lparaíso and those who had crossed
the Andes on the Ferroca rril Trasand ino, which began ope rating in 1910. 21
-1 94 -
-
-=-- ..=::- --
~
Invernadero de lo Quinto Normal (Greenhouse al the
Quinta Normal). Oil painting by Ernesto Melina, ca. 1900.
l. Municipalidad de Santiago .
...._ Mapocho Station, bui lt between 1905 and 1912 by
architect Emilio jecquier. Photographer unknown, ca.
1920. Museo Histórico Nacional, Santiago .
..._ Interior view of Mapocho Station. Photographer unknown,
ca. 1920. Museo Histórico Nacional, Santiago.
~
El Trasandino, viaje o Buenos Aires. Cartoon drawing
by Moustache, published in Zig-Zog magazine, 1910.
Biblioteca Nacional de Chile, Santiago.
-1 95 -
-
.... Dieciocho de sepliembre en el Porque Cousiño. lllustration
by painter Ricardo Richon Brunei far Zig-Zog magazine,
1905. Centro Naciona l del Patrimonio Fotográfico,
Santiago.
._ Street lamp with Chile's coat of arms, from the fa~ade
of Palacio de La Moneda, 1910. Facu ltad de Arquitectura
y Urbanismo de la Universidad de Chile.
- 196 -
1910
For Chile, the Centennial year was in sorne respects
tragicomic. lt began with a crime, discovered after a
fire at the German Mission in Santiago, at the corner of
Nataniel and Alonso Ovalle streets. A body was found
in the ruined building and first identified as Becker, the
secretary; but a dental examination revealed that the
body was in fact someone else, and the secretary, now
a suspect, had gone missing. The police and the public
rallied to find the missing Becker, who was apprehended
as he attempted to escape to the south of Chile. While
officials were debating his sentence of death by firing squad,
which was carried out on July S1h, President Pedro Montt
became deathly ill and decided to travel to Germany for
a cure, only to pass away when he arrived in Bremen on
Ju ne 10 1h. Vice President Elías Fernández Albano stepped
in, presiding over the solemn funeral of his predecessor,
but took ill himself and died on September 61h, as the
first foreign delegations began to arrive in the capital.
Emiliano Figueroa was appointed acting president, a man
described by Joaquín Edwards Bello as "half-cowboy,
brave minstrel, a lover and a simpleton," who with his
"strapping girth and reddish whiskers, performed his
role as host of the Centennial celebrations perfectly." 22
In the month of September no one stayed at home.
Entire families strolled around the city center, admiring
the lights, the carriages, the still uncommon automobiles,
the shop windows and especially the new Gath & Chavez
store, "The Chilean Stores," which was opened with
great fanfare on the 101h at the corner of Estado and
Huérfanos streets in a remarkable four-story building
described enthusiastically by journalist Daniel de la Vega
-197-
as a "metallic cathedral. " 23 Every night the city lit up with
fantastic gas lamps projecting patriotic emblems and
slogans that appeared and disappeared magically with
the wind. On the 1? 1h and 1s1h a Te Deum service was
held in the cathedral and there was a parade of troops
and carriages. Cousiño Park was packed with temporary
wooden structures called ramadas, where the people
danced for two days and two nights. On the 20 1h the Fine
Arts building and exhibit were inaugurated .24
But the celebrations were not limited to September.
Throughout the year banquets, ceremonies and meetings
were organized, particularl y by expatri ate groups that
competed with each other and gained the spotlight by
inaugurating monuments: the ltalian colon y in the Plaza
Colón, the Swiss on the Alameda and the French in front of
the Fine Arts building. In the Parque Forestal the German
colony installed a great bronze ship that appeared to sail
_... Military parade on the st reets ol Santiago during the Centennial
ce leb rali ons. Photograph by juli o A. Morandé, 1910. Museo
Histórico Nacional, Santiago.
_... Presiden! Emiliano Figueroa in the parade along the Alameda
during the Centennial celebrations. Photograph by julio A. Morandé·,
191O. Museo Histórico Nacional, Santiago.
~
Pond in the Parque Forestal. Ph9tograph by Obder Heffer (at.),
ca. 191 o. Centro Naciona l del Pa trim onio Fotográlico, Sa ntiago.
- 198 -
on the lake where boats and paddle boats were rented.
In so rne ways at least, the monuments, buildings, foreign
delegations and visitors engendered a desire to make
the city more beautiful and captivating. That same urge
led to the construction of the Casa de Botellas (House
of Bottles) in the Quinta Normal, a gift from Miss lsidora
Goyenechea, and the Panorama Pavillion of the Batalle of
Maipú in Parque Cousiño, a curved salon that featured a
highly realistic painting produced by ltalian artist Giacomo
Grosso, with dea d and wounded soldiers in the forefront
that impacted the sensitive imaginations of young visitors. 25
In August, aviator César Copetta flew a biplane over the
Chacra Valparaíso in Ñuñoa, and shortly thereafter, in
December, another ltalian, Bartolomeo Cattaneo, took
off above the Parque Cousiño, performing loops and low
level flights over the city befare the astonished gaze of
hundreds of spectators. 26 There were races with special
prizes, an amazing opera season, cornerstone ceremonies,
blessings, eulogizing, self-congratulatory writing, as well
as essays criticizing and denouncing certain matters.
Meanwhile, the mayor's office, the police prefecture and
local residents ali helped to keep the public squares, streets
and sidewalks clean . Formal proclamations prohibited
the presence of street vendors, cookstalls and the sale
of street food and discouraged loitering and sleeping on
the streets. 27 But these efforts !asted only while the city
welcomed its visitors, and after the party ended everything
seemed to return to the way it was befare.
- 199 -
New expressions
of urban culture
Before the Centennia l year, culture had been the almost
exclu sive provi nce of Santiago's elite, who wou ld meet
in the Municipa l Th eatre, the Club Hípi co, or the Clu b de
la Unión, or while stro llin g around Sa nta Lucía Hill, the
Alameda de las Delicias, the Plaza de Armas, Parque Cousiño
and the Quinta Normal, their meeting times, fashion, and
many other aspects dictated by strict co nventi ons. But
the city was also governed by regulations which became
necessary to ensure the peaceful coexistence of the city's
inh abitants and daily traffi c of cyc li sts, troll ey buses,
carriages and automobi les. 28 In 1908 the speed limit was
set at 14 kilometers per hou r and all vehicles had to blow
their horns at every crossroads. 29
Newspapers and magazines were an important channel for
dissem inating socia l and cultural information, complemented
by photographic images. El Diario !lustrado was launched at
this time, introducing photoengraving, a technique that was
then incorporated by El Mercurio newspaper. The illustrated
magazines Instantáneos and Instantáneos de Luz y Sombro,
directed by Alfredo Melossi in 1900, were the first of many
magazin es that emerged at this time, foremost among
which was Zig-Zog, a weekly publication of exceptiona l
quality created by Agustín Edwards in 1905 that remained in
publication until 1970. The magazines El Peneca (1908), fo r
children; Corre Vuelo (1908) with its popu lar humor; Selecto
(1909); Familia (191O); El Pacífico Magazine (1913); Selva
Lírico (1916); Chile Magazine (1921 ); and Los Sports (1922)
are just sorne of the titles that made a notable contribu tion
to the modernization and dissemination of culture in Santiago
and across Chile in these times. 30
~
Family on the Alameda at Ca lle Bandera. Photographer unknown,
ca. 191O. Museo Histórico Nacional, Santiago.
- 200 -
~
Afternoon horse races at the Club Hípi co. Photograp her unknown,
ca. 1905. Museo Histórico Nacional, Santiago.
~
El au /omóvil. Au tomobi le and pedestria n, drawing by cartoo nist
Moustac he, published in Zig-Zag magazine, Sa ntiago, 191o.
Bibl ioteca Naciona l de Chile, San tiago.
~
Electric tram at the corner of Alameda and Carmen streets, wi th
an "impe_rial" to ca rry passengers on the second deck. Photograph
by Karl Linderh olm, ca. 1916. Museo Histórico Nacional, Sa nti ago.
Cin ema, a creation of the Lumiere brothers, arrived in the
ca pital one yea r after it had first debuted in Pari s. Th e
Teatro Variedades scree ned a seri es of animated films in
Augu st 1896, and from th en showe d foreign film s withou t
inte rru pti on, mainl y docum entari es or im ages of loca l
events, with th e musical accompaniment of pianists, duets
and even quartets set up below th e screen who pl ayed or
sa ng in keeping with what was being shown on film . Th e
Apolo Sa lon on Estado street was co nverted into a cinema
in 1903 and its neighborin g ve nue, th e Teatro Va ri edades,
beca me we ll kn ow n for in co rporating the Bióg rafo Kinora
cin ema, where th e youri g Jorge Délano, popul arl y kn own
as Coke, saw his first fil ms and adopted th is art as his
voca ti on. 31 In 191Othe first Chilea n film, Manuel Rodríguez,
was ~ rodu ced, and cin ema beca me an importan t Chil ea n
arti sti c form that generated growin g publi c interest .32
In additi on to opera season at the Teatro Municipa l, where
throngs of the city's elite displayed themselves in expensive
boxes an d orchestra seats, there were severa ! theatre
companies that produced comedies, musica ls and operettas.
Th ese in cluded the Tea tro San ti ago on Merced, in front
of the Casa Co lorada, the Tea tro Líri co on Moneda, and
th e Edén on Sa n Antoni o street, where the famous actor
- 201 -
-----:--..
-.
• Foyer of the Teatro Municipal. Photograph by José María
León (al.), ca. 1915. Centro Nacional del Patrimonio
Folográf1co, Santiago.
~
En el polco (In the theater box). lllustration by painter
Ricardo Richon Brunei for Zig-Zog magazine. Santiago,
1905. Centro Nacional del Patrimonio Fotográfico,
Santiago.
~
Soccer champions. Photographer unknown,
Museo Histórico Nacional, Santiago.
ca.
1905.
- 202 -
Pepe Vila performed. There were also the Roma theatre on Avenida Matta,
the Politeama in the Portal Edwards, and the San Martín, which offered GrecoRoman wrestling shows_ 33 & 34 Circus shows attracted a larger and more diverse
audience, and included the Circo Inglés on the southern bank of the river, the
Bravo on Bandera street, the Océano, which specialized in boxing championships;
and the Santiago circus at the Plaza Italia, with its wild animals. The Echiburú
"big top" on the northern side of the river could hold 500 people in boxes and
orchestra seats and 1,500 in the balcony. 35 This period also saw the emergence
of new forms of entertainment, new attractions. Ballrooms and dancing salons
opened, where couples learned new dances from the United States and
Europe. A famous venue was the Salón de Patinar (skating rink) on Moneda
street, which offered young people the chance to make new acquaintances.
Also widely popular were soccer matches held on the fields of the Quinta
Normal, which became overrun with fans of one team or another: Atlético
Unión (1897), Unión Española (1898), Santiago National (1900), Magallanes
Fútbol Club (1904), Audax Italiano (191 O), Santiago Badminton (1912), or the
Green Cross (1916). 36 In 1916 the government pledged to build a stadium on
the northern bank of the Mapocho River but the project never seems to have
been carried out. 37 lnstead, in 1918, the Campo de Sports de Ñuñoa (Ñuñoa
Sports Complex) was established, thanks toan endowment from philanthropist
José Domingo Cañas, who endowed land from his former estate to give the
schools and youth of Santiago space to play sports and games. 38
- 203 -
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.... Magazine covers.
El Peneca, Nº 830, October 1924.
Corre Vuelo, Nº 142, September 191 o.
Familia, Nº 27, March 1912.
Corre Vuelo, Nº 147, October 191O.
lig-log, Nº 526, March 1915.
Drawing by Edmundo Searl e, "Mundo"
El Peneca, Nº 799, january 1924.
Bib lioteca Nacional de Chile, Santiago.
~ Zig-Zog, Nº 150, January 1908.
Biblioteca Nacional de Chil e, Santiago.
- 204 -
EL PENECA
A.JI"
r n .. _ .,, '· ,. ,
l'a.<JJO· _.., IJffi• T A'O'O•
.... Alameda de los Delicias. Oíl painting by Fernando La roche,
ca. 1900. Museo Nacional de Bel las Artes, Santiago.
- 206 -
lntellectualism in the city
After the Centennial year Santiago soc iety became
more diverse, with different strata that included, among
others, graduates of the Universidad de Chile and
the Uni ve rsidad Católica, which had been founded in
1888, those from the School of Arts and Crafts and the
"escuelas normales," not to mention the many foreigners
who began taking part in local media, commerce and
industry. People coming from Chile's outlying provinces
in search of better educational or job opportunities
joined the city's thriving middle class and began to
develop a strong awareness of their capacity for labor,
intellectual and political pursuits. In 1904, three young
Santiaguinos attempted to create a philanthropic group
inspired by Russian writer León Tolsto y, whom they
admired for his philosophical and moral ideas and for
the community life he shared with the rural peasants at
Yásnaia Polyana. Ultimately, the writers Augusto Thomson
(Augusto D'Halmar) and Fernando Santiván and the
painter Julio Ortiz de Zárate formed the Tolstoyan Colony
on a property in San Bernardo.39 Their life as "ascetics,
lay monks" hada profound impact on the intellectuals
and artists of the capital, and while the Tolstoya ns could
not sustain their utopian project, their example had a
lasting impact on their peers.40
- 207 -
.... Casa de Los Diez, on Calle San ta Rosa.
~
Pablo Neruda and lriends in the Bar Hércules on Calle
Bandera. In the photo are the poet Alberto Rojas Giménez,
writers julio Barrenechea, Orlando Dyarzún and Tomás
Lago, journalists Antonio Roca del Campo and Rena to
Monestier, painters Julio Ortiz de Zárate and Abelardo
Bustamante. Pho tographer unknown, 1932. Museo
Histórico Nacional, Santiago.
~
Young ladies in the square facing the Tea tro Municipal.
Photographer unknown, ca. 1927. Museo Histórico
Nacional, Santiago.
~
Group ol young people downtown. Pho tographe r
unknown, ca. 1905. Museo Histórico Nacional, Santiago.
In 1912 for example, a representative-albeit diverse-generation of intellectuals
li ving permanently or circumstantiall y in Santiago included the following
in dividuals: Augusto D'Halmar and Víctor Domingo Silva, both 30 years old;
Pedro Prado, Mariano Latorre, Armando Donoso and Fernando Santiván, all 26;
Joaquín Edwards Bello, 2S; Gabriela Mistra l and Acario Cotapos, 23; Hernán Díaz
Arrieta, 21; Teresa Wilms Montt and Vicente Huidobro, 19; and Pablo de Rokha,
18. Pablo Neruda, then ca lled Neftalí Reyes, was an eight year old chi ld living
in the distant city of Temuco. Many of these artists met in 1916 through the
group Los Diez, a mysterious but spirited brotherhood that brought a critica! and
ironic sense to their search for change, especial ly by identifying new sources of
interest and inspiration. They turned their gaze inward to discover a local Ameri can
aesthetic form that they expressed in their poetry, narratives, music, fine arts and
architecture. They also joined together to create collective works, one of which
remains in Santiago today: The old house that they converted in the 1920s into
a residence for one of their group. Known as the "Casa de Los Diez," on Santa
Rosa street, the building bears an emblematic tower, a symbol of the group,
from where they wou ld observe and illuminate the world, like a li ghthouse. 41
- 208 -
- 209 -
Skyscrapers
As the spiritual tower of these artists was being erected, concrete and steel ones
were also being built and began to change both the skylin e and the character
of Santiago. The city's urban model was no longer the elegant neoclassical
fa~ades of Paris but the compact, slender skyscrapers of New York. The first
and most emb lematic of these was the 13-floor Edificio Ariztía, built in Santiago
in 1921. Made of reinforced concrete, it was designed by arch itects Alberto
Cruz Montt and Ricardo Larraín Bravo and engineered by Gu ill erm o Franke. On
the top floor an elegant restaurant, cal led Armenonvill e, was installed, where
at one time the Maharaja of Kapurtha la danced the Charleston. Radio Chi lena
made its first broadcasts from the tenth floor in 1923, when Santiago had two
hundred listeners. 42 Another era, new times.
- 210-
..-. Nueva York street and the Ariztla Building, lithograph by
pa inter Pablo Vidor, published in 1927. Museo Histórico
Naciona l, Santiago.
~ Nueva York street and the Ariztia Building today.