San Antonio, Valparaiso Region, Chile

🇨🇱 San Antonio is a Chilean city, commune and the capital of the San Antonio Province in the Valparaíso Region. It is the hub of the fishing area that spans the Chilean coast from Rocas de Santo Domingo to Cartagena. Its port is the largest in terms of freight handled and the busiest on the western coast of South America.

Geography The city is situated on hills and coastal dunes, to the north of the Maipo River's mouth, and is divided by two estuaries: Arévalo to the north and El Sauce in the Llolleo section. It borders Cartagena to the north, Melipilla and the Maipo River to the east, Santo Domingo and San Pedro to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It covers an area of 502.5 km² (194 sq mi).

History Nomadic hunters and gatherers were the first inhabitants of Chilean territory. In this central coastal zone are evidences of ancient habitation extending back about thirteen thousand years.

The city was 80% destroyed by the 1985 Santiago earthquake.

The San Antonio port was shut down by the 27 February 2010 earthquake, but had resumed operation at 80% capacity by 3 March 2010. After the quake, only 5 of the 8 docking points at the port resumed operation.

Administration As a commune, San Antonio is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a communal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years.

Within the electoral divisions of Chile, San Antonio is represented in the Chamber of Deputies as part of the 15th electoral district, (together with Santo Domingo, Cartagena, El Tabo, El Quisco, Algarrobo and Casablanca). The commune is represented in the Senate as part of the 6th senatorial constituency (Valparaíso-Coast).

Tourist Industry The zone will give way to a tourist route that will have cuisine, with the emerging cuisine being based on shellfish and oenology. This initiative is supported by a program called The Seaboard Program of the Poets supported by CORFO, or in Spanish "el programa litoral de los Poetas de la CORFO". The new route explains that it will unite the circuit to the local productions, chefs and wine vineyards, like the vineyards of Matetic, Casa Marín, Amayna, Lo Abarca, and Malvilla. Also, with the support from the Program of Tourism and Interests by CORFO, in the last year, wine growers, food industries, and tourism have initiated a process of trainings and associations under the concept of a good cuisine being the local identity.

Tourist Attractions On the seaside of the city of San Antonio there is a walk called "el Paseo Bellamar" (the beautiful sea walk), a mall called “Mall Arauco San Antonio", and a casino called "el Casino del Pacífico" (the casino of the Pacific), where you can see the merchant ships, and the activities of fishermen and the port workers. From here and in the cove called "la caleta Pintor Pacheco Altamarino" (the cove of the painter Pacheco Altamarino), tours are offered in boats through the bay of the port and in the San Antonio fishing market fish and shellfish are sold. There is also a national monument called "Grúa 82" where it is possible to observe seals in the rock piles of the sector. Another attraction is the Municipal Museum of Natural Sciences and Archaeology of San Antonio, with its collections principally dedicated to the natives that lived in the zone of the central sea of Chile, and the wildlife in the area. This museum contains huge skeletons of sea mammals, among those is the blue whale, a garden with natural species, aquariums, and the rescue and rehabilitation centre of wild fauna. Another important attraction is the panoramic viewpoint on the hill of Cristo del Maipo (Christ of Maipo), the hill of Centinela, and the viewpoint of 21 May.

In the sector of Llolleo, you can find the parade ground, also known as "La Plaza del Folclor" (The Plaza of Folklore), and the hill viewpoint of "Cristo del Maipo" (Christ of Maipo).

The handcrafting town of Lo Gallardo, is also an important attraction; the river Maipo, with an impressive river mouth that starts at fisherman's cove; the Leyda reservoir with abundant aquatic birds; and the small village of Cuncumén, a typical Chilean country town on the side of the Maipo river.