Magellan monument
At the centre.
Gillermo Adolfo — CC BY 3.0 · Z thomas — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Chilewin — CC BY-SA 3.0
The main square of Punta Arenas, one of the world's southernmost cities, on the Strait of Magellan. It is a square garden shaded by huge pine trees, centred on the bronze monument to Ferdinand Magellan raised in 1920 for the four-hundredth anniversary of his passage through the strait that bears his name. Around the square stand grand mansions built in the early twentieth century by wool and sheep-farming fortunes, when the city was a thriving port on the ships' route between the oceans before the Panama Canal opened, among them the Sara Braun palace, now a club and hotel. A few steps away, the Braun-Menéndez museum keeps a mansion with its furnishings. At the monument's base are statues of the region's native peoples, and local custom says that whoever touches one figure's shiny toe will return to Punta Arenas one day. Kiosks around the square sell crafts and souvenirs. The city is the gateway to penguin trips, the Strait of Magellan, Tierra del Fuego and Antarctica. Patagonian wind is fierce and changeable, and conditions can turn within an hour, so dress in layers with a wind- and rain-proof jacket.
At the centre.
The wool era.
A return custom.
Central Punta Arenas
Local custom says touching the shiny toe of a figure at the base of the Magellan monument means you will return one day.