Valparaiso and Isla Negra

Valparaiso is an historic port. Important in colonial times, economically booming during the nitrate rush and the California Gold Rush, buildings and houses crowd the steep hills and elevators called ascensores provide transportation up and down the many hills overlooking the Bay of Valparaiso.

Nobel Poet Pablo Neruda lived in a house on Isla Negra overlooking the Pacific ocean south of Vaparaiso. The eccentrically designed house is now a museum containing his works, his collections and a vivid look at the lifestyle of Chile's beloved man of letters.

Valparaiso is Chile's main seaport with a tradition strong in commerce and naval history. It is also the home of the National Congress.

This article, like the others contributed by Sr. Fisk, is in Spanish. It is an account of his visits to Valparaiso to view the murals in the Open Air Museum.

Pablo Neruda enjoyed collecting things that caught his eye, and you'll see some of them in these pictures of his home, now a museum.