Plaza Yungay

Plaza Yungay is a square located in Barrio Yungay, an historical neighborhood of Santiago, Chile, located at the western limits of the commune of Santiago. The plaza is the home of a monument commemorating the end of Chile's War of the Confederation (1836-1839) against the Peruvian and Bolivian confederation, and a church named for the saint that protects Santiago's residents from earthquakes. Today, it is a lively public space.

The plaza boasts a monument to the roto chileno, an homage to the common person, created by sculptor Virginio Arias. The sculpture commemorates the Chilean troops that defeated the Peru-Bolivian confederation at the Battle of Yungay on 20 January 1839. The troops were largely common people who dwelled in the city. Rotos was the name the confederation soldiers gave them during the "War of the Pacific" one of Chile's two significant wars.

The monument to the roto chileno, the collective and anonymous hero of the Battle of Yungay, consist of two pillars of uneven, jutting rock which come together in an inverted U shape. Atop the inverted U stands the statue of the roto chileno, a meter and a half high. The pedestal of the statue has an inscription that says

The statue is wearing a traditional uniform with a rifle standing near his right foot stabilized by his right hand. His left hand on his hip. Behind him stands a bushel of wheat with a sickle between shafts.

The Plaza Yungay hosts festivities relating to the Day of the Roto Chileno, an annual celebration held on 20 January.

The south west corner of Plaza Yungay is home to the church and parish of Saint Saturninus (San Saturnino); Saint Saturninus is the protector of Santiago residents from tremors and earthquakes. This gothic-style church has three entrances and a tower, and consists of a central rectangular space with two lateral spaces. The construction of the church was first initiated by the priest Luis Benavente in 1844 and completed by the architect Teodor Burchard in 1887.

The church has large stained glass windows that represent the apostles. Among its relics and imagery there is a Christ of Good Hope given by the priest Hernán Domeyko Sotomayor in 1892. There is also an organ made by Oreste Carlini in the 1920s.

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