Antarctic Cruise: Puerto Arenas (2.21.24)

Punta Arenas overlooks the Strait of Magellan, through which Magellan sailed on his voyage from Spain to the Far East.  It is the southernmost city in Chile, and a shipping port for the Antarctic.  We spent  February 21, 2024, touring Punta Arenas' museums, parks, and port.

Our first stop was a natural history museum, filled with whale and albatross bones.  It also had interesting exhibits on the indigenous people of the tip of South America.

One of the popes visited this devoutly Catholic city, and we saw the fur-covered throne, emblazoned with a cross, that was offered for his comfort.

I never tire of the beautiful, baroque South American cathedrals.  Of course, Punta Arenas had its own.

One of the highlights of Punta Arenas is its "santuario," or cemetery, filled with highly decorated tombs and monuments.  It reminded me of the elaborate, above-ground tombs of New Orleans, which are also a tourist attraction.

We next wandered through a living history museum showing life in Punta Arena during its "pioneer" days of the 1800s and early 1900s.  There were wagons and farm equipment outside and several shops and homes furnished treasures from 100 to 150 years ago.

Since Jonny marketed excavators at John Deere, Dave and I notice them wherever we go.  This was a vintage model--green, but not from John Deere.

We lingered at the city plaza, with its statue of Magellan and French-style buildings with Mansard roofs.  At some point in Punta Arena's history, a city father hired a French architect, and the whole central square looked like Paris!

We rode uphill for a view of the city and to learn about its history.  Punta Arenas' prosperity has risen and fallen with the world historic trade routes.  Its first big boom was during the California gold rush of 1849, when it served as a haven for clipper ships sailing around the Cape of Good Hope.  The port's importance diminished after the opening of the Panama Canal.  It received even greater prosperity early in the 2000s as the center of Chile's international wool trade.  Punta Arenas continues to be important today because of its close access to the Antarctic peninsula.

Punta Arenas during the days of clipper ships.

We walked back to our ship along a dock filled with trucks and forklifts supplying the cruise ships on their way to and from Antarctica.