Central and South America 2018: Iquique, Chile (Saturday, March 03)

Iquique is a port with a large commercial fishing fleet. As we pulled into the pier, we were hit with a smell that could knock a buzzard off a garbage truck. We learned later that there was a processing plant close by that took all parts of a fish that had no other use (bones, heads, etc.) and ground them into bone-meal, a profitable export. I will never again complain about driving through a town with a paper mill.

We had been here before about 10 years ago and gone inland to see a nitrate mining town and some geoglyphs, so this time we opted to see Iquique.

- - - - -

Today's Tour: IQUIQUE CITY HIGHLIGHTS

Drive into the heart of historical Iquique for a revealing walking tour of its architectural treasures, many of them constructed in the late 19th century by ultra-wealthy nitrate barons.

Depart from the pier and begin a delightful drive through Iquique, a city that first flourished in the 1830s, when the natural fertilizer nitrate was heavily mined here. Although an earthquake devastated Iquique later in the century, the city soon rebuilt and many of those grand buildings remain today.

Upon arriving in Plaza Arturo Prat, you will notice the ornate clock tower from 1878 and the lovely Municipal Theatre that opened a few years later. Built almost entirely of Douglas fir imported from the United States, the theater exudes opulence.

Next, you will walk to the Regional Museum which lies a short distance away. A visit here allows you to delve into the cultural history of northern Chile. The exhibits include objects from the indigenous people of the Andean plateau, mummies from the Chinchorro culture and historical photographs of the early nitrate industry.

A stroll past the Georgian-style buildings lining Baquedano Avenue brings you to Astoreca Palace. Built in the early 1900s as the residence of a nitrate baron, the mostly wooden palace is now a museum filled with period furnishings.

Your walking tour continues past Cavancha beach and finally ends at the Moorish-style Centro Español where you will enjoy a traditional Chilean drink before rejoining your coach and transferring back to the pier.

- - - - -

The historical part of the city was about eight blocks long and largely uninteresting.

We began our tour at a tower with a broken clock that was in the middle of an empty fountain pool.

We moved from there to the front of a dilapidated performing arts center undergoing an indefinite period of restoration. The tour description stated that the building 'exuded opulence'. It was apparent that the author did not know the definition of either word.

NOTE: In fairness to the local government of Iquique, the condition of the old quarter of the city was (partially) explicable by the need to prioritize repairing and rebuilding after a devastating earthquake in 2014 that triggered a tsunami. The destruction to the city was massive. Repairing the clock in a bell tower was no doubt far down the list when it came to recovering from such a disaster.

Turning onto Baquedano Avenue, a promenade that looked shabby in daylight but our guide assured us was a happening place in the evening with its bar and restaurants, we proceeded to the regional museum. My interest in the exhibits varied, but our guide Olga did a good job of presenting the information.

Miners' huts. 6-7 would live in one. Even though they were typically short (< 5' tall), that would have been crowded.

Walking further along Baquedano Avenue, we visited the home of one of the nitrate mine owners. These men were exceedingly wealthy and brutally ruthless - as exemplified by the 1907 Santa Maria School Massacre. Like the rubber barons of Manaus, Brazil, these men spent huge amounts of money on the trappings of respectability. This nitrate baron brought in an architect from France to build this large house, then had a replica built in two other Peruvian cities where he did business.

From the old quarter of the city we drove to the modern part of it. As we motored along the beach, our guide explained that different parts of the beach had gathering points for various ethnic groups within the population of the city; a place where they could help preserve their ethnic identity. Further on we saw walking paths, bike paths, playgrounds, sports area, and venues for other forms of physical fitness. Our guide told us that the current mayor of the city placed major importance on such venues, believing them to be a deterrent to young people getting involved in drug use.

The tour concluded at a Moorish restaurant, next door to Club Croatian, where we had something to local drinks and snacks. According to our guide, many Moors emigrated here from Spain.