Baquedano Street


Location
Baquedano Street is a long avenue in the old quarter of Iquique, Chile. It is a popular tourists attraction and is a “typical zone,” a status that preserves its historical and architectural heritage. It is characterized by its late 19th- and early 20th-century houses built of wood from Europe.

Architecture

The architecture that Baquedano Street exemplifies accommodates Iquique's prevailing climatic conditions. The buildings on Baquedano Street and, in general, all those that follow the city's traditional architecture, were built as stores or houses by immigrants who amassed fortunes through the nitrate works.
The buildings can be characterized by three elements:
The buildings typically show a continuous frontage and a verticality and lightness. They are typically organized around a central nucleus and feature vestibules, verandahs, skylights or lanterns, watchtowers, and a serial or "shady" roof over the terrace roof.

Culture

Baquedano Street was transformed by The Iquique council into an attractive pedestrian boulevard, with paths of wood and paving stone floor, by where an electrical street car journeys.
Most public shows in the city take place there and it is also the gathering point for young people to play their music, put on plays and even dance. Also, craftsmen have settled there to display their goods and make crafts. Water fountains and plants ornament the almost fifteen blocks that make up the street, which begins and ends at the sea.
Prat Square, at one end of the street, is delineated with flowers. This old public square is surrounded by architecturally significant structures— such as:
Baquedano Street has a number of hotels, guest houses, a lodge, pubs, coffee-shops, and restaurants.