A Proud Naval History

With such a long coastline, and a history of fending off invaders, it shouldn't be a surprise that Chile has a long and proud naval history. For us, knowing why the streets, buildings plazas, etc. around us are named as they are has become part of our journey through Chile, past and present. Should you choose, there are several links that will lead to more information on Chile's history. For the rest, reading this blog will give you a quick glimpse at the past and what we saw this day.

Atop Cerro Artilleria in Valparaiso, housed in the old Naval School, is the Naval Museum. We toured the museum recently (Thursday, January 8), and this is what we found.



We have learned that, in Chile, museums can range between the spectacular and the ridiculous. This happened to be one of the finest that we have seen. The first gallery paid tribute to past explorers and Chilean naval heroes. The room was done mostly in large stained glass windows.



These three fellows are very prominent figures in both past and present Chile. On the left is Lord Cochrane. We've talked about him in a past blog. He is seen as the father of the Chilean navy. A disgraced British naval officer, he was summoned to Chile in 1817 and led the Chilean navy in the War of Independence with Spain. In case you are wondering, Lord Cochrane later returned to England, managed to cleared his name, and died a hero.

In the centre is Arturo Prat (more on him in a minute).

And on the right is Bernardo O'Higgins.

Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme (1776 or 1778 – 1842), South American independence leader, was one of the commanders – together with Jose de San Martin – of the military forces that freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War Of Independence. Although he was the second Supreme Director of Chile (1817–23), O'Higgins was the first holder of this title to head a fully independent Chilean state. Wikipedia

It was O'Higgins that called upon Lord Cochrane to come to Chile.



These windows are very nicely done. They not only represent the continents of the globe, but also the night skies and the stars that the explorers used to find their way: the North Star, Polaris, and the Southern Cross. In the lower corners are the portraits of four historically significant explorers.



First, and this one surprised us, Neil Armstrong, the first man to step foot on the moon. You know . . . "One small step for man . . . one giant leap for mankind . . ." that guy!



Second, Nicolas Copernicus.
Nicolaus Copernicus (February 19, 1473 – May 24, 1543) was the first astronomer to formulate a scientifically-based heliocentric cosmology that displaced the Earth from the center of the universe. His epochal book, "De reolutionibus orbium coelestium" (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres), is often regarded as the starting point of modern astronomy and the defining epiphany that began the Scientific Revolution . Wikipedia



Then, Hernando De Magallanes.
Magellan was the first European to enter the Pacific from the eponymous Strait of Magellan, which he discovered. He was also the first European to reach the archipelago of what is now known as the Philippines, which was unknown to the western world before his landing. Wikipedia

The Strait of Magellan is at the south end of South America. It became an important route because it was slightly shorter than going around the very southern tip of the continent, and the water is much calmer in the strait than it is in the open water of the south.



And finally, Cristobal Colon. Doesn't sound familiar? How about Christopher Columbus!
Christopher Columbus (between August 25 and October 31, 1451 – May 20, 1506) was a Genoese navigator, colonizer and explorer whose voyages across the Atlantic Ocean—funded by Queen Isabella of Spain—led to general European awareness of the American Continents in the Western Hemishphere. Wikipedia









The following photo and video are of the "Sala Guerra del Pacifico", the room dedicated to the War of the Pacific.
The War of the Pacific, occurring from 1879-1883, is sometimes referred to as the Saltpeter War in reference to its original cause, a conflict that involved Chile and the joint forces of Bolivia and Peru. The conflict stemmed from the control of territory that contained substantial mineral-rich deposits. It led to the Chilean annexation of the Peruvian provinces of Tarapaca and Arica and the Bolivian province of Litoral, leaving Bolivia as a landlocked country. Wikipedia

The afore mentioned Arturo Prat was a prominent figure in the War of the Pacific but, be patient . . . we'll get to him!

In case you're wondering, Saltpeter was a key ingredient in the making of explosives.





We've all seen these naval hats in Hollywood movies. I guess they really did wear them!



Who needs GPS when you've got a sextant?





Those of you following along and taking notes will know that the Esmeralda is an important ship in Chilean history. The latest edition was in harbour at Christmas and appeared in the New Year's blog. The model seen below is another ship with the namesake. This one has three masts and has metal cladding on the hull. The models in the museum are very well done. This one is about 2 meters long.



OK . . . as promised, we are now at the room dedicated solely to Lieutenant Commander Arturo Prat.

Agustín Arturo Prat Chacón was a Chilean naval officer. He was killed shortly after boarding the Peruvian armored monitor Huascar at the naval battle of Iquique after the ship under his command, the Esmeralda, was rammed by the Peruvian Monitor. Prat, as captain of the Esmeralda, was the first to board the Huáscar.

Before his martyrdom, Prat had taken part in several major naval engagements, including battles at Papudo (1865), a coastal city north of Valparaiso, and at the Battle of Abtao (1866), at the islet of Abtao across from Chiloe Island. Following his death, his name became a rallying cry for Chilean forces, and Arturo Prat has since been considered a national hero. Wikipedia

Even though defeat, and probably death, were imminent, Prat continued the fight. Today, he is remembered through the naming of parks, plazas, buildings, ships etc. His image is also on the face of the 10,000 peso bill ($20 CDN).



This is the Arturo Prat monument in the Sotomayer Plaza in downtown Valparaiso. Prat is on top, but the monument is dedicated to the heroes and martyrs of Chile's navy.



These and other Chilean heroes are very prominent in Chilean society. No matter where you go, you are never far away from something that bears their names. We often go through our lives not thinking about why things are named the way they are. For example, we have lived in the Buena Vista neighborhood of Saskatoon for over 20 years, but have no idea why it bares the name. Incidentally, Buena Vista is Spanish for "good view". So many landmarks in Chile are named for their national heroes that we felt that we had to find out more about them. It has definitely enhanced our Chilean experience!

Your history lesson is now over, but you will want to stay tuned for the next edition. We had the opportunity to stroke one item off of our South American Bucket List last week.

Until then,
Hasta luego
Amor,
Norm and Charlene