_______________________________________________________________________________
World Heritage City?

Valparaiso is a candidate to become a UNESCO World Heritage City. Selected in 1997, the city is in the process of improving and publicizing its cultural aspects in order to achieve the distinction.

One group involved in the process is Fundacion Valparaiso, a group which promotes tourism. Founded by an American poet, it lists the Swiss Embassy, the U.S State Department, United Airlines, and a Chilean agroindustry foundation. One of their main projects is the restoration of historic homes that can then be converted into gentrified shops, hotels or cafes. The foundation calls this the "Cycle of Virtuous Prosperity."

Markets One large, indoor market is open daily in the historical market building on Avenida Brasíl, at the north end of the commercial district. Inside, a vendors sell all types of produce, as well as cheese, eggs, flour, beans, etc. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, Avenida Argentina is transformed into a feria, selling mostly vegetables and fruits that are brought in from the valley in horse-drawn carts. The same site is used on Sunday as a flea market for new and used goods, from dishes to shoes to electronics. The city has two artisan's markets, selling trinkets, jewelry, and souvenirs, and a number of smaller indoor fish markets. The most prominent form of commerce in Valparaíso is the street vendors. Kiosks selling candy and newspapers appear on almost every street, as well as vendors (both legal and illegal) hawking fish, flowers, spices, toys, and clothes.

Nightlife
Bars and nightclubs are the city's most popular diversions, attracting both the city's residents and those from surrounding areas. All types enjoy the nightlife in Valparaíso, from the seedy sailors' bars and student beer halls, to stylish dance clubs that charge up to $10 cover fees.

The Arts
Most performance art takes place at the Municipal Theater, on Parque O'Higgins. The theater hosts singers, orchestras, plays, dancers, and rock bands. A few smaller theaters operate in the hill neighborhoods, and bars often host live music. Valparaíso has a few poorly kept museums, but the Baburizzi art museum on Cerro Concepción is worth visiting.
Cerro Alegre is known as the artists' haven. Once a month, they collaborate by holding an open house in all the studios and workshops, where visitors can speak with artists, see demonstrations, and are encouraged to make a purchase.

Valparaíso's most famous resident is Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda. La Sebastiana, one of his three homes, overlooks the bay from Cerro Bellavista. He purchased it in 1961 as a place to hold his parties and entertain friends. It has five floors, curling in the shape of a conch shell, and is filled with Neruda's eccentric collections of glass bottles, postcards, and sailing paraphenalia. In October 1970, Neruda was named Valparaíso's most illustrious citizen, but his home was boarded up during the entire dictatorship and only re-opened by the government in 1992.

Both an art exposition and source of neighborhood pride is found in the Open Air Museum. Found on the sides of buildings on several of the city's hills are twenty murals designed by Chilean artist of the 1940 generation. They range stylistically through surrealism, geometrics, realism, and PopArt, and are maintained by the Catholic University's Art department. The project intends to beautify a neighborhood in decline.

A mural of the Open Air Museum

---