The South American Tour

by Annie S. Peck

A visit to the Municipal Theater or Opera House should not be omitted. Erected as long ago as 1873, it probably surpasses anything of the kind in the United States, certainly presenting a finer exterior. An imposing entrance hall has wide staircases leading to the upper row of boxes. The Presidential box is large and elegantly furnished with reception rooms, etc., at the back, and a box for his lady guests below. There is a large foyer and refreshment rooms, and there are seats for an audience of 4000. The opera season, though short, is brilliant, with a company every year brought from Italy for a month or more. Society is present in full force in immaculate evening dress, gorgeous gowns, and sparkling jewels, a spectacle of beauty, it is said, equaling that in any opera house of the world.

Santiago has many beautiful homes and pleasing residences, though less in the pure Spanish style than in Peru: fewer wide doorways admitting horsemen, and apparently smaller patios, of which one has but a rare glimpse. Among noticeably fine residences are the Cousiño on Diez y ocho, the Edwards on Catedral, corner Morande, the Umeneta, Monjitas street; on the Alameda, the Concha y Toro between Brazil and San Miguel, the Ramon Valdez between 18 and Castro, and the Quinta Meiggs between Republica and España, this having fifty or more rooms with elaborate furnishings.

An excursion which may be made by carriage, or by a good walker on foot, is to the top of Cerro San Christóbal, 900 feet above the city. A more superb view than from Santa Lucia is here afforded. At this point of vantage is an Observatory, a branch of the noted Lick Observatory of California. It is in charge of an American, Dr. Moore, and was established by the late D. O. Mills. Lower down on a prominent bluff is a colossal Image of the Virgin with arms outstretched towards the city as if in blessing. The pedestal contains a small chapel in which services are held December 8, the anniversary of her festival. On this night the statue, which with its pedestal is 70 feet high, is illuminated so as to be visible to the whole city. It is said to have been erected by women as a token of gratitude for their preservation from the earthquake, and also to celebrate the jubilee of the declaration of the Immaculate Conception.

PALACIO DE LA MONEDA

CEMETERY IN ROSE TIME

The most important feature of the city to be visited, aside from Santa Lucia, is,—the Cemetery. Let no one be surprised and say that he does not care to visit such places. There are other cathedrals, plazas, public buildings, etc., but this again is unique and in many respects the most beautiful resting place for the dead that I have seen in any land; especially in November, the month of roses. A French lady resident, who did not find much else to please her, was most enthusiastic over this. It may be reached by Car No. 8 from the Plaza de Armas. In front of the cemetery is a semi-circular plaza with a colonnade. The gateway is surmounted by a lofty dome, which bears a fine colossal group of statuary, Adam and Eve mourning the death of Abel. The whole effect is imposing. In the corridors of the entrance may be noticed the painted ceilings, and passing within one will observe a stately chapel where masses are said for the repose of the dear departed. Here in truth is a city of the dead, with streets laid out at right angles, many of these lined with beautiful houses, rows and rows of chapel-like tombs. In other places are statues, columns, and memorials in various forms. Some of the avenues are shaded by orange trees, magnolias, and the Jacarandá or Brazilian rosewood; others have the tall, stately, and more gloomy cypress; but when the roses blossom there is such a wealth of these that there is no gloom anywhere. They are of various kinds and colors, but most numerous, genuine large white roses which grow in great vines sometimes on trees to a height of thirty feet, or over the tombs, forming the most lovely framework imaginable. At the festival of All Saints, November 1, the sight is unequaled in any part of the world, as here this is at the height of the rose season, when there is also a profusion of other flowers. The immense masses of bouquets and floral devices of all kinds then placed upon the tombs and graves, even the poorest on account of the small cost of flowers being able to contribute, make of the already delightful spot a veritable floral bower. Among noticeable monuments are a bronze bust, near the entrance, on a black marble column, to the litterateur, Andres Bello; in the calle Central in the rear of the chapel is the white marble tomb of General Bernardo O’Higgins. Fifty yards to the right and then turning to the left, one finds the memorial erected over the remains of more than 2000 victims of the holocaust in the Jesuit Church, the Compañia, Dec. 8, 1863, when a gorgeous fête to the Virgin was in progress. The decorations of paper flowers and festoons of gauze which were interspersed with lighted candles, taking fire, fell among the crowd, chiefly women of the higher classes who thronged the church. The doors opening inward, the crowds, packed against them, made egress impossible, and nearly 3000 are said to have perished. Few of the leading families escaped bereavement and since that time this festival has been solemnized with mourning.

The tombs of many of the Presidents are found on a street of that name, and on the Magnolia are many of real beauty belonging to some of the leading families. In the high wall of the enclosure which covers many acres are niches for the reception of the coffins of the poorer people. At the left of the General Cemetery as one faces the entrance from without is that where the Protestants are buried, naturally much smaller and far less attractive.

On the way to the Cemetery one may pass on the Avendia Recoleta the Church of the Recoleta Dominica which deserves a call. The façade presents a fine row of marble columns, the only edifice in the city furnished with such decoration. The doors are of carved wood. The interior is severely beautiful, avoiding the tawdriness exhibited in many Catholic churches. There are double rows of handsome marble columns with Corinthian capitals, a white marble chancel screen of trellis work, and above the high altar a marble Madonna del Rosario. The marble, imported from Italy, was brought in ox-carts from the coast. Pretty cloisters are adjoining.