Barrio Lastarria

Now a popular tourist hub, Barrio Lastarria is a center for cultural activity, with cinemas, theaters, museums, restaurants and bars.

[1] Barrio Lastarria is bordered by the Alameda and Centro Cultural Gabriela Mistral to the south, Santa Lucía Hill to the west, Parque Forestal to the north and Plaza Baquedano to the east.

[2] As with many neighborhoods in Santiago’s center, Barrio Lastarria was built around a church: in this case, the Iglesia de la Veracruz.

Despite the neighborhood’s early origins, the plaza was only built in 1981 due to interest in preserving a series of facades beginning at the historic house of Gil de Castro.

[5] Due to both the number of visitors and LGBT residents, on 5 November 2006, the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation (Movilh) held an act in Parque Forestal to declare the sector as the first gay-friendly neighborhood in Santiago.