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Customs Square
The square began as a customs square built over former sea
It was first called Plaza de la Aduana, then Plaza del Palacio and later Plaza Intendencia. It is the most important civic square in Valparaíso, built over previous sealand.
A stranded ship
A stranded frigate became the base of the first wharf in 1825
On 10 June 1825 a storm broke the cables of the frigate Valdivia and stranded her on the beach here. The authorities filled the hulk with sand as a base for the first wharf. The remains of the passengers' wharf of 1831 can be seen at the museum under the square.
Bombardment
The Spanish Navy bombed the city in 1866 and the Bolsa de Comercio survived
The Bolsa de Comercio opened in 1858, built of wood and cane from Guayaquil. In 1866 the Spanish Navy bombed Valparaíso during the Chincha Islands War. Spain tried to burn the building down, but it survived and was repaired.
The monument
The Bolsa was demolished in 1885 for a monument to the fallen of Iquique
In 1885 the Bolsa de Comercio was demolished to make room for the great monument to the fallen heroes of the Battle of Iquique. It stands over the crypt of Arturo Prat and his men, inaugurated on 21 May 1886.
Remodelled
A museum opened under the square in 2000 over archeological finds
In 2000 the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development inaugurated the remodelling of the square, directed by the architect Harken Jensen. A museum was inaugurated because of archeological findings on the site.
Day 4, morning
Next is Muelle Prat.
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The words are a retelling of the Wikipedia article Sotomayor Square, and are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. They are checked against those articles, and a fact that is not in them is left out.