Vergara Palace, Viña del Mar's Fine Arts Museum.
© Marcela Torres
by Marcela Torres
The 53rd version of the Viña del Mar
International Song Festival kicked off last night and I thought it might be a
great opportunity to talk a little bit about this famous resort city in Chile’s
Central Coast.
A Bit of History
Viña del Mar is one of Chile’s youngest cities.
During colonial times, the territory was divided into two estates. The first,
called “Viña del Mar” (Vineyard by the Sea), was located on the northern bank
of the Marga Marga stream and had its own vineyard. The second, called “Siete
Hermanas” (Seven Sisters), extended on top of the seven hills of the area.
A rich Portuguese investor bought the Viña del
Mar estate in 1835 and the Siete Hermanas estate in 1840, thus owning the
entire Viña del Mar valley. These properties were inherited by his daughter and
her husband, Francisco Vergara, who founded Viña del Mar in 1874.
The city flourished and became a favorite beach
resort for affluent people from Santiago and the neighboring port of
Valparaíso. Because of its many large houses with huge gardens, it soon became
known as the “Garden City”.
Music in the Park
Each year, thousands of people swarm the
streets of this city, which regularly has approximately 300,000 residents.
However, this figure can reach up to one million during the summer, when
tourists from the rest of Chile, Argentina and other foreign countries come to
visit attracted by its beaches, mild weather and, of course, the Festival.
The Viña del Mar International Song Festival is
held annually during the last week of February since 1960 at the Quinta Vergara
(Vergara Park), which is what remains of the old estates. It is considered the
most important musical event in Latin America. The Festival features a song
competition in two categories (pop music song and folk song), combined with
performances by international music stars from around the world. Sting, Ricky
Martin, Gloria Estefan, Tom Jones, Sheena Easton, REO Speedwagon, INXS, Donna
Summer and Bryan Adams are among the many artists who have performed at this
beautiful and historical place.
The Festival has helped boost the careers of
several singers, such as Shakira, who participated in the pop music song
competition representing Colombia in 1993, when she was only 16 years old, with
a song written by her. She came in third, but received a special award as best
performer.
But the Quinta Vergara is more than just music.
Its Venetian-style palace houses Viña del Mar’s Fine Arts Museum and is
surrounded by a beautiful garden with trees from all five continents, which is
definitely worth visiting.
Stay the Night
Unfortunately, most foreign tourists come to
Viña del Mar for just a day trip, so they miss a lot of what this bustling city
has to offer, starting with its active night life and fantastic restaurants.
The Botanical Garden, the Fonck Museum and its amazing collection of artifacts
from Easter Island, the neighboring port of Valparaíso with its World Heritage
Sites and the nearby Mantagua Wetland, which is a bird-watching paradise in
Concón, are just a few of the many surprises in store for you… if only you
would stay the night.
This entry was originally posted by the author on February 23, 2012.
