O'Higgins Park

O'Higgins Park is Santiago, Chile's second largest public park (Santiago's Metropolitan Park is the largest). It is located in the center of the capital, in the Santiago Commune. Measuring some 190 acres (770,000 m²), it is about a quarter of the size of Manhattan's Central Park.The park, named after Bernardo O'Higgins (one of Chile's founding fathers), is a popular place for families to visit during weekends and holidays, especially during the national holiday on September 18, when a number of fondas and ramadas —traditional places for dancing, eating and drinking— are open to the public for a few days.Since 2011, O’Higgins Park has hosted the annual music festival Lollapalooza Chile.HistoryThe present-day O’Higgins Park is the result of gradual evolution over its history. The site, originally called Pampilla or El Llano, was a flat open space between the modern-day Santa Rosa and San Ignacio streets, where people gathered to celebrate Fiestas Patrias, Chile’s national day.The government bought the land in 1845 and used the southern portion for state buildings, including a jail. In 1870, it gave the northern portion of the terrain to Chilean politician, entrepreneur and philanthropist Luis Cousiño. Inspired by the parks he saw in Europe, he decided to create one in his own city and contracted French landscaper Guillermo Renner to shape it into parkland. The park was inaugurated in 1873 and was named Parque Cousiño in his honor.