Like Spokane, Valdivia is bisected by a river. In point of fact, three major and several smaller rivers snake along the lush plains bordering Valdivia, eventually coming together as the Río Valdivia and emptying into the Pacific Ocean. Perhaps best known of the three is the Calle-Calle, said to be Chile’s only navigable waterway. Calle-Calle means ‘street-street’ in literal Spanish, but I doubt that is the origin of the river’s name …
Valdivia
Quick facts:
By looking through guide books and a variety of online sites, I’ve amassed several facts and figures about my home for a month. Some 140,000 people live there, similar in size to Mt. Pleasant, Michigan and Okaya, Japan, which are sister cities. Most descend from Amerindian groups, Spanish colonists, and German immigrants. Established in 1552, the settlement was named for Chile’s governor at the time, Pedro de Valdivia. Its climate somewhat resembles that of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, with an average high of 69 degrees F [20.5 C] in March. Landmarks include a colorful riverside fish market, prominent university, collection of historic fortifications, and a German brewery or two.
Valdivia is also known for a 1960 tragedy of cataclysmic proportions: more of that in a future post.