Hidalgo Castle

During the Reconquest—the Spanish Empire’s last attempt to maintain control over Chile—Cerro Santa Lucía was transformed into a royalist stronghold. You’ve probably already noticed the old cannons and fortified gates, and now you’re standing in front of the Castillo Hidalgo. This small castle at the top of the hill was built in 1816 on the orders of Chilean governor Casimiro Marco del Pont, who wanted a military outpost to defend the city. At the time, it was called the Santa Lucía Battery. After Chile became independent, the fortress was renamed to honour Captain Hidalgo, an Argentine officer who fought alongside the Chilean forces and died in the pivotal Battle of Chacabuco. That battle, led by General San Martín, was a turning point in the country’s fight for freedom and dealt a decisive blow to the Spanish royalist army—effectively ending the Reconquest. The renaming of the site from a colonial military battery to “Hidalgo Castle” marks Chile’s transformation from a Spanish colony into a sovereign republic. The castle is now mostly used for private events like weddings, but back in the mid-1800s, it briefly housed an astronomical observatory. Between 1902 and 1910, there was even a small electric funicular that carried up to 120 passengers to a theater that once stood at the summit. It was one of the earliest funiculars ever built, and the first in the Southern Hemisphere. As for the descent, you’ll have to head back down the old-fashioned way, the stairs!