On this tour of the Mercado de las Pulgas, we'll discover one of the largest commercial spaces in Latin America. A true icon of Santiago de Chile awaits!
Tour Details
At the designated time, we'll meet at Franklin metro station to begin this tour of the Mercado de las Pulgas and its surrounding area.
We'll head to the old Santiago slaughterhouse, now transformed into a vibrant market full of atmosphere and top-quality produce. The origins of this place date back to 1847, when the slaughterhouse was founded and the emerging Barrio Franklin began to take shape.
In the surrounding area, we'll get to know the famous conventillos and learn about their role in the neighborhood's history. In the 1970s, the slaughterhouse's prosperity came to an end when it was relocated to another part of the city. We'll walk through the old facilities, now a lively market selling fish, vegetables, meat, and many other fresh products.
After exploring the stalls of the Mercado Matadero Franklin, we'll head to Barrio Huemul I and its neighbors Huemul II and Huemul III, three working-class residential districts. We'll stop in front of 2 striking buildings: the Teatro Huemul and the Caja de Ahorros, the latter built in the early 20th century with the finest materials of the time, and still radiating the elegance and splendor of that era.
Wandering through Barrio Huemul, we'll come across several galpones, street stalls where antiques, furniture, and technology sit side by side looking for a buyer. We'll also talk about the area's haunted sanatorium, a place with a chilling story that sits somewhere between legend and truth.
Finally, after 2.5 hours on the route, we'll make our way to Parque Víctor Jara, where we'll close the tour with a brief look at the legacy of this iconic figure in Chilean folk music.
