UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Chile
Chile has already in 1980 ratified the UNESCO Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
So far four Cultural Heritage Sites have been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site:
- Rapa Nui National Park (1995)
- Churches of Chiloé (2000)
- Historic Quarter of the Seaport City of Valparaíso (2003)
- Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works (2005)
reference: http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/cl
Some years ago i had the chance to visit Valparaiso.
The reason for the inclusion of this city in UNESCO's World Heritage List was:
The colonial city of Valparaíso presents an excellent example of late 19th-century urban and architectural development in Latin America. In its natural amphitheatre-like setting, the city is characterized by a vernacular urban fabric adapted to the hillsides that are dotted with a great variety of church spires. It contrasts with the geometrical layout utilized in the plain. The city has well preserved its interesting early industrial infrastructures, such as the numerous ‘elevators’ on the steep hillsides.
reference:http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/959
More information on the city and the role of the historic elevators can be found in the ICOMOS Evaluation Report.
