Today I ventured into town for the day and snapped a few photos while I wandered. A little Arica history, with help from the folks at Lonely Planet: When the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, Arica - then part of Peru -became a very important port for the silver mining trade. The top photo shows El Morro, which is an enormous rock that Chileans took from Peruvian forces during the War of the Pacific in 1880. Arica then became part of Chile, although the agreement was not official until 1929. The second photo shows Arica's largest "paseo peotonal" (pedestrian walk). It is called "El 21 de mayo" in honor of the date of the 1879 naval battle in the nearby city of Iquique. May 21 is a holiday for the people of Chile, and I will be here to see this year's festivities!
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