Day 24, Tuesday February 7, 2023 Coquimbo and La Serena
Cruz del Tercer Milenio (The Third Millenium Cross) and Pirates!
The soccer team in Coquimbo is called the Pirates. There are two companies that take tourists out on what looks like a pirate ship. Pirates were common in the early days.
Coquimbo is a port city located on the Pan-American Highway. (The Pan American Highway goes from Ushuaia, Argentina to Alaska). Coquimbo means calm water. It sits six miles south of La Serena. Precipitation is low. The city is an industrial and shipping center. Fruit and copper from the mines in the region are shipped from this port and also wine that is produced in the area. Tourism is developing. There are beach towns to the south. This area has been in a drought for twenty years.
Cruz del Tercer Milenio Cross of the Third Millennium is a 83 meter tall, 40 meter wide concrete cross located at the top of El Vigia hill. Construction began in 1999 and was completed in 2001. It sits 197 meters above sea level. It was considered the tallest monument in South America and honored the 2000 year anniversary of the birth of Christ. There is no place for a large bus to park so we did not go there.
Cross of the Third Millennium
Photo stop at La Herradura Beach
La Herradura Beach - Herradura means Horseshoe Bay.
This statue is called the Englishman. The English came to do mining of copper and iron ore. There are other statues that are similar in design honoring Spain, Motherhood, Indigenous Man, First Nation and Pelican Man honors sea birds. Summertime in this are is in January and February.
La Serena is the second oldest city after Santiago. The city is an important tourist destination for Chileans and the Argentines, especially during the summer when people come to visit the beaches.
There is a mixture of housing, high rises and simple houses. Many houses are red, yellow or white, which are the colors of the Spanish flag. La Serena and Coquimbo run into each other and appear as one town.
La Serena has developed its own architectural style known as Colonial Revival. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of La Serena is located here. The stone cathedral dates from the 19th century and is a stone building in a country prone to seismic activity. It has survived various earthquakes. There is almost no visible damage in this centuries old building. The city's nickname is "The City of Churches" because there are so many. There are many different styles of belfries.
San Augustine in La Serena next to the La Recova Market. La Recova Market offers handmade items. The 143 stalls offer a diversity of services and products. Examples of crafts include stone handicrafts, Pre-Columbian pottery, flower pots, precious stone jewelry, Alpaca wool items, and homemade goods.
Flower stall at Recova Market.
The average temperature in February is 70 degrees. Tourism has become one of the most important economic activities. The population doubles in the summer due to the beaches, recreation, festivals, and concerts.
Monumental Lighthouse of La Serena is a lighthouse located at the Avenida del Mar of La Serena. President Gabriel Gonzalez had the lighthouse built between 1950 and 1951 during the development of his Plan Serena. It is a popular tourist attraction. I saw horses saddled and ready for riding near the lighthouse. There were red flags on the beach indicating it was too dangerous to go swimming.
Mackerel for sale near the port
Random thoughts - Stargazing is very popular in this area. I saw a lot of graffiti and houses with bars on the windows. The guide said the area is safe, but I'm not so sure. There are many "market tents" in both towns. We have been warned continually - beware pickpockets. I saw a Bimbo Burger place today. I am not seeing businesses that I am familiar with from the United States. They do drink Pepsi, Coca Cola, and Canada Dry and eat Nestle ice cream bars. The cars include Toyota, Kia, Hyundai, Chevy, Ford, Nissan, Suzuki, and others.
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