Then, in 1607, people built a tiny chapel here in honor of San Saturnino, who was considered Santiago’s superhero against earthquakes. Even he, however, couldn’t save the chapel when the Mapocho River raged and swept it away just two years later. Flood insurance must have been impossible to get back then!
By 1723, things took a wild turn. The site became a house of correction for women whose behavior the church found... let’s just say, “less than saintly.” The idea was strict discipline; the reality was less effective than a screen door on a submarine, and the project faded away.
This place later morphed into a blood bank, then an artillery barracks. In 1851, it became the scene of the Urriola riot-a burst of political fireworks that included an ill-fated attempt to storm the barracks. Colonel Pedro Urriola himself lost his life here.
Fast forward to 1901, and everything was cleared away for the plaza you see now. In 1908, standing proudly center-stage, a bronze statue of Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna appeared, crafted by Jules-Félix Coutan. Vicuña Mackenna holds a pencil and papers, ready to write down Santiago’s next chapter. He’s surrounded by symbols of his life and accomplishments, and all of it sits within a lovely fountain. The square was spruced up in 2012, so it’s looking its sharpest for you.
So, as you look around, picture wagons, floods, rebellious colonels, and finally, a historian immortalized for all time-talk about a plot twist!
