Copiapó

Close to the centre and an interesting collection of minerals.

Built in 1854 and today a National Monument, it is part of the first railway line in South America, linking Copiapó with the port of Caldera. It is a museum. It is an adaptation of the neoclassical style, a vestige of the splendid past of mining in Copiapó.

It is called Plaza Prat in homage to Arturo Prat, Chilean hero, has many peppers, a statue and a marble fountain, and four statues that symbolize the seasons of the year.

Created in 1981, it is heir to the Copiapó School of Mines created in 1857, among its beautiful gardens is the first locomotive ("La Copiapó") that circulated in Chile and South America in 1851.

A beautiful avenue where the "Crypt a los Heroes de Atacama" is located, dedicated to the Copiapinos who fought in the War of the Pacific (1879-1884) against Peru and Bolivia. Also in this Alameda is the modern and spectacular Municipal Theater of Copiapó, next to it the Chamber Hall and on the other side the Church of San Francisco, neoclassical in style, in front of this church is the Plaza de Juan Godoy, with a monument to this Copiapino miner, the monument was made in Scotland in the 19th century and as a curiosity it is dressed in the Scottish way, that is, with a skirt and other accessories from the British country. At the other end of the Alameda is the old mansion of the railway officials, in a neoclassical style, today restored it is the seat of an important public service

An arid hill from where you have a privileged view of the city of Copiapó and the green valley that surrounds it.

Regional Historical Museum. A neoclassical mansion that belonged to the wealthy Matta family, men dedicated to the mining business and public service, founders of the Radical Party, a party that was born in Copiapó in the mid-nineteenth century.

A sample of the rich history of Copiapó and Chile. It is possible to see mausoleums of veterans of the War of the Pacific, the Matta family, of Pedro León Gallo (local leader and founder together with the Matta brothers of the Radical Party), the mausoleum of the victims of the 1932 Christmas uprising, an unknown fact of the Chileans when a Communist Party cell tried to take over the Copiapó Regiment, causing the death of several innocent soldiers and civilians. It is worth a visit, it is located just a few blocks south of the Plaza de Armas on Calle Chacabuco.