being touristy

Time for a history lesson! Last weekend, a few friends and I went to see the biggest church in South America....right here in Santiago. It's located in the comuna ("neighborhood/district/municipality") of Maipú. Maipú is pretty large and on the west side of the city. This Catholic church is called the Santuario Nacional de Maipú (National Shrine of Maipú). The church was completed in 1974, but the area in which it stands is pretty important. The open space in front of the church is where the Battle of Maipú took place (an important battle in Chile's independence from Spain) on April 5, 1818. General Bernardo O'Higgins said that if they won the battle, a church would be built in that place in honor of the Virgen of Carmen (Virgin Carmen). After the battle was won, the ruins you see in the picture were the church that was built soon after. 


I had a great time visiting the church. It was cool to be in a place where something so important happened. Chile is also a very Catholic country and since I was raised Catholic, I could relate. It's great getting to know more about the city I'm living in!

The ruins of the original church

Santuario Nacional de Maipú

inside- La Virgen Carmen

the shrine, the ruins, and a statue of the general

 Thank you to a coworker who taught me all this!
 Photo credits go to Jami Herring! :)