Santiago City Map Poster

About Santiago

The city of Santiago was founded in 1541 by the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdivia, as a small settlement next to a Mapuche (or Araucanian) village. The city was named "Santiago" after St. James ("Santiago" in both English and Spanish), the patron saint of Spain, and it is usually referred to as "the holy apostle". In December 2015, Santiago was officially declared capital of Chile by President Michelle Bachelet; this took effect on 11 March 2016. The region had been occupied for over 3200 years when the Incas arrived in the 15th century; there were several previous indigenous settlements built near or along present-day Santiago: Pudahuel (1450–1540 AD), Cauquenes (1300–1530 AD) and La Florida (1100–1500 AD).