The Fortress Across The Street. La Santa Lucia

   Hi Folks,
I have been taking nice walks up at the local fortress called Santa Lucia which was were the early Spanish settlers use to run to when the Native American tribe Mapuche use to attack them.

I have a little bit of history pasted here from wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Luc%C3%ADa_Hill   

   "The hill comprises a 65,300 square metre park^[2] adorned with ornate facades, stairways and fountains. At the highest point there is a viewpoint popular with tourists visiting the city.It was originally called Huelén by the pre-colonization inhabitants. However, the current name comes from the day in which Pedro de Valdivia conquered the hill, on December 13, 1541. That day celebrates "Santa Lucía."

Its first use by its conquerors was as a point of reconnaissance, or a lookout in the years of the Conquista (1541).

In 1816, the Brigadier of the Royal Engineers Manuel Olaguer Feliú, proceeded to draw and build on the Santa Lucía Hill, two forts or castles, one north and another south of the hill, built of stone and lime and able to put eight or twelve cannons each. Besides, Olaguer Feliú drew and built an outbuilding for ammunition depot and to house the garrison.^[3]

On one side of the hill, Fort Hidalgo was finished in 1820 as a defensive point. On the other side, the hillside terrain was used as a "cemetery for the dissidents", people who did not follow the then-official Roman Catholic faith, or were considered otherwise unworthy of burial at hallowed grounds. However, the remains buried in the hillside under this fashion were eventually transferred to a secluded section of the General Cemetery, before said cemetery, in turn, was opened to all burials regardless of creed or social condition.

In 1872 Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna decided to conduct a dramatic change to the urban atmosphere of the city of Santiago, among his many works aimed to improve the city, and thus initiated an extensive remodelation of the hill. The works of 1872 consisted of a road which crossed the hill, which at the top accessed a chapel which he also built there, illuminated by the then-novel means of gas. The rest of the hill contains a park with fountains and lookouts. The actual hill is watered by a sophisticated irrigation system. The now iconic yellow and white facade is also a product of Vicuña Mackenna's remodelation.

Vicuña Mackenna was assisted in realizing his designs by the architect Manuel Aldunate, the constructor Enrique Henes, and the stonecutter Andrés Staimbuck.

A few years ago, Santa Lucía hill received an improvement in its illumination system and protections. Also, Fort Hidalgo was restored and reopened to the public. Traditionally, a cannon shot is fired exactly at noon."  

I happen to live across this street and so it makes quick little hikes for me and my family. This day I went up with my buddy Fred to take a few pics and to promote his hair products Dax. It has also been renamed after me. We take our young three year old Rafael for hikes up here and he now calls it Cerro de Tio Richard.

 Pedro De Valdivia status stands upon the cerro and is the guy that conquered this hill and thus the city of Santiago.

 Looking south on the cerro.

 A Trabajador refinishing the masonry on the memorial steps.

Some nice cactus plants grow all over the hill.

The tall red building is where I live and ride out large earthquakes.

The street below is a major throughfare in downtown Santaigo and is called la Alameda.

I happen to live on the 11th floor of the big red building and ride out the quakes in it all the time now it seems.

  The infamous Mapuche Natives made live hard on the early Spanish settlers and ran them up this hill evidently many times over the centuries.

 Looking north over the city.

  Fred being Fred the consulate male model.

 It is springtime in Santiago and many plants are now blooming here.