Valparaíso: where ART is EVERYWHERE [ENG | ESP]

Valparaíso is one of my favorite cities in Chile. I've been there at least six times, some of them for up to a week. And while it's true that it has some "ugly" areas (dark alleys, trash in the streets, unpleasant smells) and others that can pose a risk to your personal safety, I still think it's a must-see for anyone who wants to get to know Chile. It's a very important port city in the country, connected to maritime trade and tourism, but more than all those things, Valparaíso, the entire city, is an open-air museum. >Valparaíso es una de mis ciudades favoritas en Chile. He ido al menos unas seis veces, algunas de ellas por hasta una semana. Y aunque es cierto que tiene zonas _feas_ (callejones oscuros, basura en las calles, olores desagradables) y otras que pueden ser un riesgo para tu seguridad personal, me sigue pareciendo una parada obligada para cualquier persona que quiera conocer Chile. Se trata de una ciudad puerto muy importante del país, con conexión al comercio y al turismo marítimo, pero más que todas esas cosas, Valparaíso, la ciudad entera, es un museo a cielo abierto. A few months ago, I posted about the city's stairways, which are as iconic as they are necessary in a city with an uneven topography. Valparaíso, or Valpo—as Chileans call it—is a city made up of a series of hills on the edge of the ocean, which is why most of its streets are steep. As you move away from the coast, you gain height above sea level. That's why there are so many stairs—and some elevators—that people use to get from one place to another. In other words, they're not only a tourist attraction but also part of the daily life of the locals. So, since I already showed you the stairs, today I want to focus on something else. It's true that there are also many sculptures in squares and churches, and that despite not being a very large city, it has several museums and galleries with beautiful and valuable collections, but the most attractive thing about Valpo, what you see on thousands of postcards around the world, are the colors of its walls and murals. Yellow, red, green, blue, and purple facades, which resemble some Caribbean towns more than those in the south of the American continent, form a beautiful mosaic in _the pearl of the Pacific._ So, if a yellow wall next to a blue one is striking in itself, what can be said about the countless murals that decorate the streets of this port city? >Hace algunos meses subí un post sobre las escaleras de la ciudad, tan icónicas como necesarias en una ciudad con una topografía irregular. Valparaíso, o Valpo - como la llaman los chilenos - es una ciudad formada por un conjunto de cerros al borde del océano, razón por la cual la mayoría de sus calles son pendientes. A medida que uno se aleja de la costa, va ganando altura sobre el nivel del mar. Por eso hay tantas escaleras - y algunos ascensores - que la gente ocupa para trasladarse de un lugar a otro. Es decir, no son solamente un atractivo turístico, sino parte de la vida cotidiana de los locales. Entonces, como ya mostré las escaleras, hoy quiero enfocarme en otra cosa. Es cierto que también hay muchas esculturas, en plazas e iglesias, y que a pesar de no ser una ciudad muy grande, tiene varios museos y galerías, con hermosas y valiosas colecciones, pero lo más atractivo de Valpo, lo que uno ve en miles de postales alrededor del mundo son los colores de sus paredes y sus murales. Fachadas amarillas, rojas, verdes, azules, moradas, que se asemejan más a algunos pueblos del caribe que al sur del continente americano, conforman un hermoso mosaico en _la perla del Pacífico_. Entonces, si ya una pared amarilla junto a otra azul es llamativa de por sí, ¿qué se puede decir de los incontables murales que decoran las calles de esta ciudad puerto? | --- | --- | Valparaíso isn't like other cities, where an area is highlighted by art on its walls. For example, in Buenos Aires, you can take a tour to see the graffitis in Palermo Soho; and you can also see soccer murals in La Boca. The same thing happens in other cities. Valparaíso is different because when people say there are murals and painted walls everywhere, it's not an exaggeration; it's a description of reality. Art and color are **everywhere**. >Valpo no es como otras ciudades en las que hay un área destacada por el arte en sus paredes. Por ejemplo, en Buenos Aires se puede hacer un tour para ver los _graffitis_ de Palermo Soho; y también se pueden ver murales futbolísticos en La Boca. Lo mismo pasa en otras ciudades. En Valparaíso es diferente porque cuando se dice que hay murales y paredes pintadas por todas partes no es una exageración, es una descripción de la realidad. El arte y el color están **por todas partes**. Valparaíso's murals can be found on the facade of a restaurant or a hostel, but also on any house, on an ordinary street corner, or on the terrace of a private residence. The residents of Valparaíso are proud of their colorfulness and leave tributes on their walls to illustrious figures (Pablo Neruda, Gabriela Mistral) or episodes from Chilean history, but also to literary figures (The Little Prince), television characters, cartoons (The Simpsons, for example), famous singers (Freddy Mercury and Amy Winehouse, among others), although the most common are original creations with great symbolism. Seagulls, boats, flowers, women, and animals are frequent elements in works that are very different from one another, some of which depict everyday scenes from city life. It is a spectacle to walk through the city, going from one hill to another, because on every corner there's a mural to contemplate. | --- | --- |