Chile - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 444

Laundry Lavaseco y Lavandería Fast Clean, at San Martín
167 (inside the building), charges CH$1900/kg (Mon-Fri
9am-1.30pm & 3-8pm; Sat 9.30am-2pm).
Pharmacy There are numerous pharmacies along
Urmeneta; Cruz Verde is on Pedro Montt, at Varas (Mon-Fri
8.30am-10pm, Sat 8.30am-9.30pm).
Post o ce Rancagua 126 (Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat
9.30am-1pm).
Shopping The best shopping mall is the towering Paseo
Costanera on the waterfront, with its extensive food court,
multi-screen cinema and an “Andesgear” outlet, which stocks
high-quality (though not cheap) outdoor and camping gear.
Unimarc supermarket is in the basement.

was highlighted when it became the
royalists' last stronghold, holding out
against hostile forces for almost a decade
after Chile's declaration of independence
in 1818. Much of the action these days
centres on the lively little Plaza de Armas ,
where there are crafts and book stalls in
the summer and locals chill out in the
evenings. At the Mercado Municipal, a
block north, there are numerous bustling
marisquerías and craft stalls. Overlooking
the town at the northern end of the
harbour, the Fuerte Real de San Antonio
(Mon-Fri 8.30am-9pm, Sat & Sun
9am-8pm; free) was erected on a
promontory in 1779, but is little more
than a ruined gun battery today. This is
where the last Spanish troops in Chile
were finally defeated in 1826.

Chiloé
As the ferry ploughs through the grey
waters of the Canal de Chacao that
separates the CHILOÉ archipelago from
the mainland, an island appears out of
the mist. Isla Grande de Chiloé is the
second-largest island in South America,
a patchwork of forests and fields, with
traditional villages nestling in sheltered
inlets. Its residents still largely make
a living from salmon fishing and farming,
as they have done for centuries. Today
Chiloé draws visitors to its two main
towns, Ancud and Castro , crammed with
distinctive shingle houses and waterside
palafitos, , as well as more remote national
parks and its precious cache of clapboard
churches , many of which are UNESCO
monuments.
Originally populated by the Huilliche
(southern Mapuche) Indians, most of
whom died from a smallpox epidemic
shortly after European contact, Chiloé
was colonized by the Spanish as early as
1567. Scores of refugees fled the fierce
Mapuche on the mainland to the island,
and Chiloe's very distinct culture evolved
in relative isolation, resulting in a diverse
and rich mythology that permeates
people's lives to this day.

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
In the southwest corner of the Plaza
de Armas, the small but illuminating
Museo Regional de Ancud (Jan-Feb
Mon-Fri 10.30am-7.30pm, Sat & Sun
10am-7.30pm; March-Dec Tues-Fri
10am-5.30pm, Sat & Sun 10am-2pm;
CH$600; T 65 622413, W museoancud
.cl) features a relief map of Chiloé and
small displays on just about every
episode of the island's history, from
the little-known Dutch occupations
of 1600 and 1643 to the devastating
earthquake of 1960 - labels are in
Spanish only. Don't miss the replica
of the Goleta Ancud outside, the locally
built ship that led the expedition to take
control of the Straits of Magellan for
Chile in 1843.
Make time also for the Iglesias de Chiloé
Centro de Visitantes (daily 9.30am-7pm;
free; W iglesiasdechiloe.cl) at Errázuriz
227, housed in the beautifully preserved
Ex Convento de la Inmaculada
Concepción of 1875. Models, carved
doors, windows and explanation boards
(much in English) introduce the island's
beloved wooden churches.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
By bus Long-distance buses (Cruz del Sur, Pullman Sur
and Trans Chiloé) arrive at the conveniently located
Terminal de Buses at Los Carrera 850 ( T 65 622249), a
10min walk from the plaza; Castro is served frequently

4

ANCUD
Tucked away on Chiloé's northern coast,
ANCUD is the island's second-largest
settlement and a pleasant place to linger.
Its importance as a Spanish fortification