Pedro de Valdivia is an important figure in Chilean history since he conquered the land for Spain and founded many of its cities from La Serena to Osorno. He founded Santiago in 1541 and Concepción in 1550. On September 4, 1543 (after he founded La Serena), he wrote to Carlos V, King of Spain these remarkable words:
"The land is such that there is none better in the worldto live; I say this because it is flat, fertile (healthy), very pleasant...It has no more than four months of winter, during which (when there is no crescent moon) it rains a day or two; every other day is beautiful and sunny with no need to stand near a fire to warm oneself. The summer is so mild with beautiful breezes blowing all day, making walking in the sunshine hardly bothersome."
The original Spanish text is found below, also em-brazened in downtown Santiago at the Santa Lucia park.
"La tierra es tal,que para poder vivir no la hay mejor en el mundo,dígolo porque es llana, sanísima, de mucho contento,..Tiene cuatro meses de invierno no más, qué de ellos, si no es cuando hay cuarto de luna, que llueve un dia o dos, todos los demás hacen tan lindos soles que no hay para qué llegarse al fuego. El verano es tan templado y corren tan deleitosos aires que todo el día se puede andar al sol, que no le es inoportuno". Pedro de Valdivia en carta al Emperador Carlos V, La Serena, 4 de Septiembre de 1543.
In my experience, winter only lasts two months in Santiago. June and September are far to warm to be considered "winter" by European or North American standards, with daily high temperatures often over 70 degrees fahrenheit. Other than that, I would say that Valdivia has hit the nail right on the head. Pleasant climate is a significant attraction for new immigrants coming to Chile.
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