Plaza Yungay is a square located in Barrio Yungay, an historical neighborhood of Santiago, Chile, located at the western limits of the commune of Santiago. The plaza is the home of a monument commemorating the end of Chile's War of the Confederation (1836-1839) against the Peruvian and Bolivian confederation, and a church named for the saint that protects Santiago's residents from earthquakes. Today, it is a lively public space.
The plaza boasts a monument to the roto chileno, an homage to the common person, created by sculptor Virginio Arias. The sculpture commemorates the Chilean troops that defeated the Peru-Bolivian confederation at the Battle of Yungay on 20 January 1839. [1] The troops were largely common people who dwelled in the city. Rotos was the name the confederation soldiers gave them during the "War of the Pacific" one of Chile's two significant wars. [2] [3] [4] [5]
The monument to the roto chileno, the collective and anonymous hero of the Battle of Yungay, consist of two pillars of uneven, jutting rock which come together in an inverted U shape. Atop the inverted U stands the statue of the roto chileno, a meter and a half high. The pedestal of the statue has an inscription that says
"Chile thanks her sons for both their civic and military virtues"
The statue is wearing a traditional uniform with a rifle standing near his right foot stabilized by his right hand. His left hand on his hip. Behind him stands a bushel of wheat with a sickle between shafts.
The Plaza Yungay hosts festivities relating to the Day of the Roto Chileno, an annual celebration held on 20 January. [6]
The south west corner of Plaza Yungay is home to the church and parish of Saint Saturninus (San Saturnino) (es); Saint Saturninus is the protector of Santiago residents from tremors and earthquakes. This gothic-style church has three entrances and a tower, and consists of a central rectangular space with two lateral spaces. The construction of the church was first initiated by the priest Luis Benavente in 1844 and completed by the architect Teodor Burchard in 1887.
The church has large stained glass windows that represent the apostles. Among its relics and imagery there is a Christ of Good Hope given by the priest Hernán Domeyko Sotomayor in 1892. There is also an organ made by Oreste Carlini in the 1920s.
After the earthquake of 27 February 2010, the government committed the necessary resources to begin the restoration process. [7]
The plaza has a number of children's playgrounds, much like those found in Plaza Brasil. The streets surrounding the plaza are also home to a bar, a grocery store, an historic barber shop, [8] and a small shop that sells cheap, to-go ceviche and cheese-stuffed potatoes, or papa rellena (de queso). On certain weekends a small marketplace is set up with people selling goods on blankets. Free Latin American drumming workshops have been held every Sunday since February 2012. [9] [10]
Plaza Yungay was also on the route of the Fiesta de la Chaya in 2011. This celebration is carried out in a different manner in various Latin American countries, and observed in many Chilean cities. [11] [12]
A poem by Winétt de Rokha (published in her 1936 collection Cantoral) called "Valse en la Plaza de Yungay" celebrates not the monument to the "roto chileno" but the beauty of a mysterious sculpture of a female nude -- "the woman of marble" with "breasts of apple and heliotrope"—as she is touched by the evening light. Outside of De Rokha's poem, no trace of this sculpture remains. [13]
While in office, former mayor of Santiago, Pablo Zalaquett was informed by a judge that his changes to Plaza Yungay - including having trees cut down and removing the grass - were inappropriate because they were not approved of by the National Monuments Council. The city was therefore suspending his changes. Any changes need to be approved of by the council because the plaza is located in an historically protected area. [14] Led by the grassroots organization, Defensores del Barrio Yungay (English: Defenders of the Yungay neighborhood) 2,000 residents of the zone signed a petition asking for the suspension of Zalaquett's activities in the plaza. They also complained that the mayor's office hid and denied information relating to its plans from the neighbors and the organization. [15]
Carolina Tohá, Zalaquett's challenger, won the next mayoral election. [16] Early in her candidacy she expressed dismay at the changes and affirmed that it was inappropriate for Zalaquett to change the plaza without seeking the democratic approval of the residents who actively preserve the patrimony of the neighborhood. [17]
Roto, f. rota, is a term used to refer to Chilean people and in particular to the common Chilean. In Chile, from the start of the 20th century, it was applied with a negative classist connotation to poor city-dwellers. It is also used contemptuously in other Spanish-speaking countries, especially Bolivia and Peru, to refer to Chileans in a derogatory manner. Otherwise, despite its defects, the roto is also considered a figure of national identity and pride in Chile.
Carolina Montserrat Tohá Morales is a Chilean political scientist, educator, and politician. Since September 6, 2022, she has served as the Minister of Interior and Public Security of Chile, under the presidency of Gabriel Boric. Previously, she served as the Minister Secretary General of Government - being the first woman to hold this position - during the first government of President Michelle Bachelet.
Pablo de Rokha was a Chilean poet. He won the Chilean Premio Nacional de Literatura in 1965 and is counted among the four greats of Chilean poetry, along with Pablo Neruda, Vicente Huidobro and Gabriela Mistral. De Rokha is considered an avant-garde poet and an influential figure in the poetry scene of his country.
Anti-Chilean sentiment refers to the historical and current resentment towards Chile, Chileans, or Chilean culture. Anti-Chilean sentiment is most prevalent among Chile's neighbors Argentina, Bolivia and Peru.
Winétt de Rokha was the mid-career pen name of the Chilean poet and writer Luisa Victoria Anabalón Sanderson. Born to a patrician Catholic family in Santiago, she published two books before she was twenty-one—under another pseudonym, Juana Inés de la Cruz. In 1916, she met and eloped with the poet Pablo de Rokha. Together they invented her nom de plume. The De Rokha marriage produced nine children, seven of whom survived infancy. The De Rokha family, though touched several times by tragedy, became a famously accomplished Chilean clan.
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Barrio Brasil is a neighborhood of Santiago, Chile, located to the west of the city center in the commune of Santiago and to the east of Barrio Yungay. Barrio Brasil is close to the neighborhoods Dieciocho, Concha y Toro, Yungay, and República and lies immediately to the north of the Alameda. Barrio Brasil is known for its strong cultural and artistic scene, featuring a number of bars, nightclubs and cultural venues.
Samy Mauricio Benmayor Benmayor is a Chilean painter who formed part of the Generation of '80 movement.
Barrio Yungay is a neighborhood of Santiago, Chile, located to the west of the city center in the commune of Santiago and to the west of Barrio Brasil.
A series of bomb attacks, which continued as of 2014 with about 200 bombs up to that date, started in the capital of Chile, Santiago, in 2005.
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