When it was first found by Spanish conquerors, Santiago was little more than the triangular patch of land between two arms of the Río Mapocho. Today this area is simply Santiago Centro, one of thirty-two districts that constitute present-day Santiago.

From Patronato, a northern part of downtown with Moorish-style mansions of wealthly families, to Providencia, a district of modern skyscrapers built by international corporations, to Las Condes, an area of chic shopping centers, to Bellavista, the site of a great outdoor market, there's no shortage of diversity in this city.

Perhaps the neighborhoods have retained their... read more