Since arriving in Chile, I have been privy to a debate that I can only imagine started in 1878, the year that Viña del Mar was founded a mere 3 miles from Valparaíso. Whether I am at a family get together or just getting to know new classmates, the question always comes up:
“Viña or Valpo?”
It seems to me that the residents of both cities are very definitive in their answers… ambivalence towards the subject is rather rare, though it is always approached tactfully. The viñamarinos (the residents of Viña del Mar) will always start off the conversation with “So, you’ve been to Valparaíso? What did you think?” and the porteños (the residents of Valparaíso) inevitably will begin with “So, you live in Viña?” Tone of voice is obviously everything, and the disdain that the citizens of one city have for the other shines through no matter how hard they try to hide it.
Just by driving through both cities, you can tell why there is a disagreement about which town is “better,” they both have very different feelings and appeal to different types of people. Valparaíso is a port town in decline. Once upon a time it was the most important port in Chile because of its use as a stopover for boats traveling from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean through the Strait of Magellan. However, with the creation of the Panama Canal, everything started going down hill. Now, Valparaíso depends much more on tourism. The city itself as a lot of draws; there are 45-ish (the exact number changes depending on who you ask) cerros or hills that have spectacular views of the coast, elaborate graffiti art lines the streets, the history of the city is evident when walking around (100 year old funiculars, next to Latin America’s oldest stock exchange, next to the office of El Mercurio, the oldest continuing newspaper in South America…) and in general its a very cool, laid back place to be.
Viña del Mar, on the other hand, has an entirely different feeling. It has been a tourist town since its conception due to the beautiful beaches that are scattered along the coast. During the summer, all of the santiagüinos come here to escape the smog of the capital city. They walk along Calle Valparaíso (the main shopping street), enjoy touring one of several castles (one of which is the President’s own summer getaway), test their luck at the casino, or enjoy a horse race at “Sporting.” Viña hosts the largest music festival in Latin America, and has a lot of more international restaurants that makes Americans, used to the melting pot that is the US, feel like they can escape the homogeneity that is Chile every once in a while. Essentially, its Valpo’s preppy, well-behaved little sister.
From an outsider’s perspective, one can see the attractive parts of both cities. Beach? Views? Art? What’s there to complain about? But like I said, the viñamarinos and porteños don’t see it quite like that. Valparaíso, from Viña’s point of view, is dirty, decaying, dangerous, and entirely lacking in redeeming qualities. My host siblings have told me on multiple occasions how much they dislike Valpo, how I am “so brave” for going to “that place” every day for class. I understand their disgust in Valparaíso; in comparison to Viña, it is significantly dirtier and more dangerous. I actually shared their opinion after the first time I saw Valparaíso (getting to a strange city, without a map, and just walking around the first blocks that you find is probably not the most intelligent move ever…). Valparaíso, despite its beauty and history, has flaws; it either lacks funds (or officials who know how to utilize the funds) to keep the streets clean, and the police/justice system aren’t adequate in order to stop the petty theft (and subsequent sale of the stolen goods in the multiple blocks of black market street fairs). I have heard horror story after horror story about the exchange student who had her iPod stolen, or found her laptop (with their pictures still saved on the desktop) on the black market and had to pay to get it back. To be completely honest though, I think I have a higher chance of being run over a crazy bus driver while trying to cross the street or falling into a pothole by one of the many construction sites than I do of being robbed. So while I would never dare insult my family’s beloved Viña del Mar, I think I’m going to have to side with the porteños on this one… Viña is a lovely city if you want to go to the beach, but otherwise it’s just a typical city. Valparaíso, with it’s crumbling Victorian style buildings and crazy characters filling the sidewalks, has captured my attention and I’m sure I won’t get tired of exploring all of its nooks and crannies anytime soon.
Viña del Mar
Valparaíso
