Culture and Poetry

Favourable comments say that Chilean culture is one of the most fascinating of Latin America, although that may be questionable. However, so far as humanities is concerned, everyone agrees that Chilean literature, and specially its poetry, have achieved remarkable fame.
For us, poetry is touching our dreams, it’s strange and it’s true, just because Chile is a country of poets. It’s a very special species that since the darkest ages, holds its own standing in our history - as that of the pianist in a wild west saloon or the 1960’s vagabond in the Latin quarters (Paris’ quartier latin).
Vicente Huidobro, Violeta, Nicanor and Roberto Parra, Pablo de Rokha, Raúl Zurita, Jorge Teillier, Claudio Bertoni, Enrique Lihn, Armando Uribe, Gonzalo Rojas, Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda, among many others, are here, there and everywhere.
The stars, the “payadores” (improvising folk trovadors), unknown, wretched and insurgent, have left their imprints, not only through their art, but also through their houses, museums, restaurants, landscapes, brothels, recipes, bars, cemeteries and songs that we’ll try to disclose throughout the quarters, cities and regions in Chile. However, for an amateur, there is nothing better than have yourself escorted by a good connoisseur.
Our culture is also exhibited in the museums, libraries, concert halls and theatres; many handicraft markets; folkloric festivities - the calendar is laden with religious festivities that recall the most important episodes of our history -; in the rural rodeos where the “Huasos” (Chilean cow-boys) are the main attraction with their typical costumes; in the football stadiums - without doubt, our favourite sport (most cities have their own stadium); also in our local street markets; and of course, at the beaches, either those that are in vogue like “Reñaca”, “Viña del Mar”, “La Serena”, “Puerto Velero”, or the more folkloric like “Cartagena”, “Los Vilos”, “Tongoy” or “Pichilemu”.

Ad hoc Books: “Memoirs” by Pablo Neruda, “My Invented Country” by Isabel Allende.

Some museums in Santiago

Museo de Arte Precolombino (Pre-Columbian art)
Museo de Bellas Artes (Fine arts)
Casa Museo La Chascona Pablo Neruda (Neruda’s museum)
Museo Colonial de San Francisco (Religious/historic)
Museo Histórico Nacional (Historic museum)
Museo Historico y Natural (Natural History museum)
Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (Modern art)
Museo Arqueologico de Santiago (Archaeology)
Museo de Arte Popular Americano (Folk art)
Museo de Arte Virtual - Chile (Visual arts)
Museo de la Solidaridad Salvador Allende (Fine arts)
Museo Artequin (for children)
Museo de Artes Visuales
Museo de Ciencia y Tecnología (Technology)
Museo de la Educación Gabriela Mistral (Chilean Educational History)
Museo de Santiago
Museo Ferroviario (Railways)
Museo Interactivo MIM (Interactive science and Imagination)

Some Links:
Chilean Culture
Culture of Chile
Music

Travel Ideas

Tags: Central Chile > Culture > portada derecha