The entrance to the Mercado Central de Santiago isn't too exciting.
But, inside it is a beautiful building.
It was built between 1869 and 1872 to replace an older
market that had been destroyed by fire.
Interestingly, it was designed by a Chilean architect, manufactured
in Scotland and then shipped in pieces to Chile.
In 1984 it was declared a National Monument.
And another Claim to Fame: National Geographic has ranked it among the top food markets in the world.
The Mercado Central de Santiago is beautiful inside. It is made with an ornate cast-iron roof, columns and beams that were all prefabricated in Scotland and then shipped and assembled at the site in Santiago.
This “kit-of-parts” approach was cutting-edge at the time and allowed for faster construction, high precision and large open interior spaces without thick masonry walls.
Because iron is strong in both tension and compression, the market could have a wide, unobstructed central hall, which is ideal for stalls and circulation.
The centre skylight lets in natural daylight and helps ventilate heat and odors, which is really important with seafood.
Inside are dozens of stalls selling seafood.
Workers prepare the catch of the day.
I think there are probably a few cats that happily call the
market home.
There are also produce stalls.
There are restaurants where workers holler for
attention and try to entice us with “free pisco sours.” Which is just not fair! Because "FREE" always catches my attention.
Just outside the Mercado Central de Santiago is a much more local,
less touristy market. There are more produce stalls here.
Then another indoor shop with meat and dairy.
We finally succumbed and had our lunch in their restaurant. They were charming, and, their English was much better than our Spanish.
The "free pisco sour" was small, so, of course, we had to buy a full size.
It's all about Marketing.
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