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By Patrick Nixon

Getting to know Santiago can be difficult for short-term visitors. Many of the oldest and most interesting neighborhoods are run down and not tourist friendly. One exception is Nunoa, which has the advantage of being close to the center of town, is safe and has a wealth of old residential areas to explore, historic buildings to visit and interesting day and night life.

The name Nunoa comes from the Mapuche word Nunohue, meaning place of yellow flowers, as they used to grow in abundance here centuries ago. But Santiago intellectuals have long gathered in its bars and restaurants, and now, Nunoa means culture. One of its main drags, Avenida Grecia, boasts the University of Chile’s arts and science faculties and the National Stadium, which was built for the World Cup soccer championships in 1962.

A good place to start a tour of the neighborhood is near the Irarrazaval metro stop on line five. From the subway, walk three blocks east along Irarrazaval, the main east-west avenue in Nunoa, turn left on Condell, go two blocks north and then right on Caupolican. Walking along this street, you’ll find a number of antique furniture workshops, local corner stores and traditional one-story houses. It’s a quiet area, and people will stop and chat or point you in the right direction.

Not far away is the Teatro Municipal de Nunoa at Irarrazaval 1564 (call 223-0976 to find out about events there.) About 15 blocks farther west on Irarrazaval is Nunoa’s civic hub and nightspot area, Plaza Nunoa. Right on the square is the municipal building, and in the immediate area is a range of inexpensive bars, restaurants, discos, the Catholic University theatre and the nearby Santiago Jazz club.

The very basic Las Lanzas bar is right on the plaza and is always packed with students during the week. A few blocks west of the plaza at Holanda is the HBH bar, which serves a unique Chilean home-brewed beer. A bit more up market is the popular La Tecla restaurant and bar two blocks south of the plaza (Dr. Johow 320, 274-3603). A bit farther down Dr. Johow is Tierra Viva, a natural-foods store and cafe with organic produce, fresh yogurt and cheese, among other highlights. (Dr. Johow 889, 239-1551).

One of the main centers for films, art exhibits and other events in Nunoa is the beautiful Casa de Cultura (House of Culture), east of the plaza at Irarrazaval 4055. It’s a colonial-style mansion built as a summer home by the wealthy Ossa family in 1860 with a long, elegant balcony and beautiful gardens open to the public. Inside is the Gabriela Mistral library, one of the oldest in Chile. The house was declared Nunoa’s cultural center in 1953, and during the summer open-air theater performances and art films are shown, among other activities. (Call Sonya Zilsi at 223-7450 to schedule a tour.)

Finding parks in Santiago that are genuinely far from the noise of the main roads is almost impossilbe. However, only a few blocks from the Casa de Cultura between Juan Moya and Los Jardines is the long, narrow Juan XXIII park. It’s small but pleasant and has a Japanese design with giant animal sculptures and a 300-seat open-air theater. There’s also a small but worthwhile botanical garden on Echenique between Pedro Torres and Carlos Aguirre Luco, about six blocks north.

The municipality of Nunoa has made some notable efforts to improve the well being of its residents. It puts on free theater and cinema productions for its mostly lower-middle and working-class residents, it provides free health care and food for those with scanty resources and prints a community newspaper. Neighborhood security is also a high priority: vans patrol the streets and, not surprisingly, a recent study showed Nunoa with the lowest robbery rate in Santiago.

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