Mercado Central

Construction began in 1869 and finished on 23 August 1872, according to the Spanish edition of Wikipedia. The architect in charge of the work was Fermin Vivaceta, with the urban planner Manuel Aldunate y Avaria credited for the masonry perimeter. The cast-iron roof and supporting structure was fabricated in Glasgow by the Scottish firm R. Laidlaw and Sons, with Edward Woods and Charles Henry Driver taking part in the design.

The inauguration coincided with a national exhibition of arts and industries organised by the intendant of Santiago, Benjamin Vicuna Mackenna. The market was seen as a more hygienic alternative to the earlier open-air market.

The structure stands on a square base with a vaulted ceiling. Its intricate roof consists of a central pyramidal roof crowned by a domed tower and surrounded by eight smaller two-tier roofs. The metal frame is enclosed by a masonry building.

The market has been altered several times. A second brick ring was added in 1884, electric light came in 1900, and part of the north front was demolished between 1927 and 1930 when a nearby street was widened and the Mapocho River canalised. The municipality restored it in 1983.

Chilean heritage records cited in press say part of the building was expropriated between 1927 and 1930 for the canalisation of the Mapocho River and the opening of streets that gave continuity to Parque Forestal. After a period of private control, the building was remodelled by the municipality and sold to its tenants in 1983, and it was declared a Historic Monument in 1984 by Supreme Decree No. 341, which also fixed the monument's boundaries.

A 2019 book by Claudia Deichler and Simon Castillo traces the market's history from its founding to its present role as a meeting place and valued piece of heritage. The market is also part of the Santiago heritage circuit, according to Spanish-language Wikipedia.

According to Spanish-language Wikipedia, the two-storey building has 241 premises, including restaurants, butchers, bakeries, fishmongers, cheese shops and craft stores, and roughly 800 people work there. The market is known for traditional Chilean recipes, with dishes such as mariscal, paila marina and fried fish named as specialities. The same source reports that National Geographic magazine listed it as the fifth-best market in the world in 2012.

Seafood is the central draw, though preferences and prices vary by stall and season, and visitors usually pick a restaurant on the spot. The market also appears in Chilean popular culture, having provided the setting for a television drama in 2001.

A private guided visit with a dedicated vehicle and driver can combine the market with the nearby Plaza de Armas and Cerro San Cristobal in a single walking-and-driving day.