In the 16th Century Coquimbo Bay was barely registered as a cove for the purposes of the scant Spanish navigation. On an administrative level, it served as a landing place for the town San Bartolomé de La Serena. At that time, there were no stable towns in its vicinity, which is why it was not able to function as a port. The decree created by King Carlos V of Spain and established in the Cedulario Indiano stated that this was a necessary prerequisite for the administration of any commercial area or defensive enclave. 

It was not until 1810, as a result of Chilean Independence, when Coquimbo is recognized as a major port. This is the beginning of the city`s exposure to commerce represented by all the flags of the free world and it generates unprecedented activity in the port.

Mining activity in northern Chile is at its peak; copper, saltpetre and silver, whose  capital is mainly managed by Great Britain, produces a strong flow of migration to the southern world. Family units from the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the United States settle into life in the bay. Unlike the cities of Hispanic tradition, with their grid-like urban planning, here, these groups of foreigners intervene in the hill area creating an attractive centre with links to the sea. This is how the first terraces appeared in Coquimbo and the connections between its flat area and a higher hillside area began to take shape. The first brushstrokes of a homogenous architecture and a balance between nature and the countryside are now visible. The immigrant community begins to introduce its own style and design to the port’s architecture which plays an important role in consolidating the expansion, which is developing simultaneously in the port’s social and commercial life. 

In the hands of these sea carpenters, the finest Oregon pine wood takes on the most subtle and varied range of shapes and forms; pillars, pilasters, doors, lintels, windows, amongst many more examples of decorative Georgian and Federalist carpentry. The constructions rise upwards facing the ocean, as if they were enormous windows whose retinas search for a piece of blue from the Pacific.  In this way, the viewpoints,  balconies and towers all appear to be searching for their vertexes as the ample dwellings grow in size, in a stylistic, urban unit, imprinting the city`s seal. 

The British architects Robert Parker Owen and Joseph Bradford bequeathed their building design to the city’s architectural heritage as an element of identity in the urban image. The central district of the port, which was referred to as “English” because of the language spoken by its inhabitants, rapidly stood out with its elegant two storey, terraced houses.

The imported wood used for their balconies and protection rails is complemented by the texture on the walls and the corrugated tin and laminated iron on its facades. During the first half of the 19th century, communities that are arriving in the city as a result of the constant flow of migration, are no longer just from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy or Greece, because families are now arriving from China, Syria, the Lebanon, Palestine and Turkey. Buildings were constructed according to the community’s requirements and their economic, social and cultural levels.

As a result of mining activity, Coquimbo became a society shaped by the agriculture of the inland valleys, by commerce and by the immigrant and national services provided by people who depended on the port’s activity and also generated it. 

The city’s identity then emerges according to the will of the sea. The relationship with the sea becomes embedded in the actual space and its people. The whole idea of an edge, the physical connection between the hill and the ocean appears throughout the city: it happens lengthways like steps descending in search of the deep blue or transversely when moving through the streets, depending on where you are walking, the city exposes you to different horizons, seen from above, representing real, urban windows looking out at the sea. 

When you look at the mapped out port area, you can see how the first terraces start to give the city its shape. The urban scheme’s extension line reaches half way up the highest of the hills, representing the location of the urban centre and the second level of terraces.  The disjointed geography of the hill produces paddings of urban occupation as one reaches the third level of terraces. It is renowned in the city for its facades whose balconies overlook the sea and where people meet along the zigzagging, stepped streets. 

Finally, the fourth terrace corresponds to the districts in the higher sections of the port area and offers a 360º horizon of an incredible, visual square which is actually a perfect view of the sea of the fourth region. 

On 16th November in 1863 the port’s side street is created, also known as the shopping street. It was named after “José Santiago Aldunate”, who was a mayor of Coquimbo and a hero in Maipú. Nowadays it is one of the busiest streets in the ¨English District¨ especially at night, because of the number of pubs and restaurants which have opened up in the area. Parallel to this, is an area running north to south, which remembers Don Juan Melgarejo, the mayor between 1840 and 1851 for his personal contribution to the development of the city. This ¨Customs Street¨ used to only go as far as the Plaza de Armas until the Edwards Ossandon family decided to extend it and now the street has public buildings next to the Municipal Hall. 

In 1886, Coquimbo had 190 properties which housed 121 traders, 65 carpenters, 26 tobacconists, 3 beer brewers, 5 barbers, 29 foundry hands, 1 printer, 2 engineers, 1 lawyer, 2 musicians and a sculptor, not to mention a large number of  builders, grocers, sawyers, wagon drivers, confectioners, party organizers, farmhands, clerks,  servants, blacksmiths, tinsmiths and boatmen. There were a remarkable number of shoemakers.  The city had 14 smelting furnaces, 5 sail makers, 63 dime stores, 9 cafés, 6 pawnshops and an equal number of imports, 2 hotels and a photograph shop next to two billiard halls. In 1886 the population of the port reached 6 thousand people, who had access to the three streets parallel to the sea. There were two telegraph lines, one belonging to the state, the other being an underwater cable. The best known shops were Ireland and Co., Palessie and Lasté, Virgilio, Barón, Tiffoue and Co, A.Stell and Co. Robert John and Jenkins and Co.  Exports during 1884 reached 7 186 251 million pesos and 45 pence. 

The city imported mules, rice, refined sugar, gas for lamps, iron rods, bricks, wood and English garden railings. Exports consisted of minerals like manganese, copper and silver and reached mainly the English and French markets. This English District`s original design positioned its central square near the customs house, and the government and municipal buildings. The district also housed the Post Office, Telegraph and Cable buildings, as well as Banks and Hotel Developers like “The Royal Palace”, “Le France” and “Palace”. Furthermore, the warehouses and offices of the importing department stores, mainly those like; Grace &Co, Saavedra, Bénard & Co., Kulenkampff, Knoop & Co., Schmutzer & Co. who since 1937 would be known as CODINA, Juan J. Mac Auliffe, Enrique Galleguillos, Lorenzo Bauza. Suc. Alberto Castex, Agustín Figari, Álvarez Cuñoz, amongst others, helped consolidate this urban expansion, their style and design forming part of the port’s architecture. However,as a result of the strong earthquake which shook the northern Chilean coast in 1922, Coquimbo, as well as Caldera, Huasco, Tongoy and Los Vilos were presumed to have been demolished. That night, on 10th November, the seismic movements threatened to collapse every building and the strong tides destroyed the coastal districts accounting for numerous victims. Alarm bells reached Santiago where newspapers reported that Coquimbo was destroyed and La Serena totally flooded. The President don Arturo Alessandri Palma hastily reached Coquimbo on board the “Almirante Latorre” and from there he was able to travel around the other affected areas. Even though the cities were obviously damaged they had not been wiped out and they immediately received reconstruction work.  At the beginning of the 20th century, Coquimbo was a dynamic city, strong in commerce and functioning as an active port. Foreigners inundated its districts, secured construction projects and the most relevant and political facts started to appear in the press. 

The pastel coloured walls and balconies looking out over Coquimbo port in the English District are part of the reconstruction work carried out due to the number of years it was left abandoned. The Municipality named one sector as a Historical Conservation Area, the idea being to preserve the cultural heritage of the district which reflects an era, a style, a common language, an area closely linked to the port and whose influence is a well known fact in the city`s architecture. Hence, it created a project which has coordinated and carried out an immediate action plan attempting to recover and strengthen the district in terms of its architecture and cultural tourism. It has helped to portray the sector as a unique space, instantly recognizable in the city, highlighting its urban layout and unique spacial elements and in turn, giving it an individual personality and identity. 

The 40 metres long mural, in the English District, is an explosion of colours which instantly grabs the public eye. It was carried out by the artist Luis López and shows the genesis of Coquimbo, starting with the arrival of its first inhabitants and ending with the traditional present day Pampilla celebrations (held during the National Independence Day holidays in September). It journeys through pirates’ legends and the legendary treasure of Guayacán. It is located a few steps away from the port and in a strategic corner place surrounded by cafés. A pleasant afternoon can be spent sitting down to chat and enjoy this mural, which has been the focal point of many encounters and unforgettable visits to the English District. 

There are several tourist areas near the English District, which are a must for the visitor, for example Coquimbo Fort, which has been recently restored and which has several look-out towers. You can also walk along pedestrian circuits and imagine the pirates moving through the adjoining caves while their attentive watchmen scanned the horizon, protecting Coquimbo with their ancient canons. 

The Third Millennium Cross soars high in the city and represents an important step for the Catholic world. When you are level with the cross’s arms you can get a 360 º view of Coquimbo bay and the Horseshoe. Another attraction is the museum which houses personal gifts of Pope John Paul II and the present Pope Benedict XVI when he was Cardinal Ratzinger.