Día del patrimonio nacional

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On National Heritage Day, all the museums in Santiago are open and entry is free. The presidential palace is open almost entirely, when usually you can only walk around in the courtyards.

The Palacio de la Moneda was built in 1780, to be the local mint. After Independence it became the home of the presidents, until the 20th century, when they began to live in their own homes, but continued to work here. Salvador Allende died here during the coup on September 11, 1973 (most people agree that he committed suicide). General Pinochet came to work here after the approval of the new constitution in a plebiscite in 1980, when he became President; before, he worked out of the Ministry of Defense. When the Pope visited in 1987, his appearance at a balcony next to the General was the subject of many varying interpretations. It is one of the most cherished symbols of the Chilean republic.

The University of Chile was founded by Andrés Bello, the Venezuelan intellectual who associated with Bolívar and other leaders of the continental independence movement, and wrote a grammmar of New World Spanish. The students took over the old main building downtown ten days ago, in protest against a proposed new law that would make Chilean financial aid more like the United States system. Currently, it seems that people are able to take out loans from the government and never have to pay them back. The students are now advocating for tuition to be adjusted for each student according to their means, so as to make the price tag affordable for everyone, and avoid having to go into debt. "Mr. Minister: Remember that You Studied for Free!" is one slogan I've seen a lot of graffiti and banners showing around town. The students at my university, La Católica, are not mobilized as much as the La Chile students.

I went around the block to look for coffee.	A statue on the Alameda, Santiago's main downtown thoroughfare.	Inside the La Moneda metro station.
		A side entrance to the La Moneda palace.
The front side of the palace.
The Intendencia de Santiago.	Diego Portales, in front of the palace.	This is a building for the bank BBVA.
		Some of the mounted police gave free rides to the children all day long.
	My friend Sivan, the violinist.	There are too many homeless dogs in Santiago.
	This is on the side of the Intendencia building. "In this house lived and died don Juan Francisco Briand, lord of La Morandais, born Saint Maló, Brittany, Captain of Cavalry 1717 in Concepción, Treasurer General of Campaign, Frigate Captain of the Royal French Navy.
Finally inside La Moneda.