Plaza Mulato Gil de Castro

[1] The plaza itself provides access to a cultural center featuring both a visual arts and archeological museum.

[2] Metro stations Universidad Católica and Bellas Artes offer direct access to Barrio Lastarria.

As with many neighborhoods in Santiago’s center, Barrio Lastarria was built around a church: 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.

[3] During the 1990s, the neighborhood began a process of restoration with care not to alter its bohemian and intellectual flavor, with a number of cafés, bars and cultural centers appearing towards the end of the decade and the restoration of facades of the Church of Vera Cruz in 2001 and 2002.