Plaza de Armas (Santiago) in the context of Palacio arzobispal de Santiago

Santiago (/ˌsæntiˈɑːɡoʊ/ SAN-tee-AH-goh, US also /ˌsɑːn-/ SAHN-, Spanish: [sanˈtjaɣo]), also known as Santiago de Chile (Spanish: [sanˈtjaɣo ðe ˈtʃile] ), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. Most of the city is situated between 500–650 m (1,640–2,133 ft) above sea level. Located in the Chilean Central Valley within the Santiago Basin, between the Andes to the east and the Chilean Coastal Range to the west, it anchors the Santiago Metropolitan Region and its conurbation of Greater Santiago, which comprises more than forty communes and concentrates over a third of the national population and around 45% of Chile’s GDP. Most of the city lies between 500 and 650 m (1,640–2,133 ft) above sea level, with recent urban growth extending into the Andean foothills.

The basin that Santiago occupies has been inhabited since at least the 10th millennium BC, with early agricultural villages established along the Mapocho River and later incorporated into the Inca sphere of influence. During the Spanish invasion of the Americas, conquistador Pedro de Valdivia founded the colonial city of Santiago del Nuevo Extremo on 12 February 1541, laying out a grid plan around the Plaza Mayor (now Plaza de Armas). Despite early food shortages, Indigenous attacks, floods, and devastating earthquakes—notably in 1647—the city consolidated as the capital of the Captaincy General of Chile. Santiago remained the political center during the Chilean War of Independence, beginning with the First Government Junta in 1810 and culminating in patriot victory at the Battle of Maipú in 1818, and subsequently expanded through 19th-century railway construction, state-building projects, and the creation of major educational and cultural institutions.

Santiago (/ˌsæntiˈɑːɡoʊ/ SAN-tee-AH-goh, US also /ˌsɑːn-/ SAHN-, Spanish: [sanˈtjaɣo]), also known as Santiago de Chile (Spanish: [sanˈtjaɣo ðe ˈtʃile] ), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. Located in the Chilean Central Valley within the Santiago Basin, between the Andes to the east and the Chilean Coastal Range to the west, it anchors the Santiago Metropolitan Region and its conurbation of Greater Santiago, which comprises more than forty communes and concentrates over a third of the national population and around 45% of Chile’s GDP. Most of the city lies between 500 and 650 m (1,640–2,133 ft) above sea level, with recent urban growth extending into the Andean foothills.

The basin that Santiago occupies has been inhabited since at least the 10th millennium BC, with early agricultural villages established along the Mapocho River and later incorporated into the Inca sphere of influence. During the Spanish invasion of the Americas, conquistador Pedro de Valdivia founded the colonial city of Santiago del Nuevo Extremo on 12 February 1541, laying out a grid plan around the Plaza Mayor (now Plaza de Armas). Despite early food shortages, Indigenous attacks, floods, and devastating earthquakes—notably in 1647—the city consolidated as the capital of the Captaincy General of Chile. Santiago remained the political center during the Chilean War of Independence, beginning with the First Government Junta in 1810 and culminating in patriot victory at the Battle of Maipú in 1818, and subsequently expanded through 19th-century railway construction, state-building projects, and the creation of major educational and cultural institutions.

The Palacio de la Real Audiencia de Santiago (English: Royal Court Palace or Palace of the Boxes) is a building located on the Plaza de Armas in Santiago, Chile. The building dates back to 1808 and houses, since 1982, the National History Museum of Chile.

The building was built between 1804 and 1807 to serve as the home for the royal courts of justice. It was the work of Juan Goycolea, a pupil and disciple of the Italian-born Joaquin Toesca who had designed the nearby La Moneda Palace and the east facade of the Cathedral during the last two decades of the 18th century. The courts were there for two years until Chile's first government junta, in 1810, assembled to replace the Spanish governor. Eight years later the Chilean Declaration of Independence was solidified and the building served as the first meeting place for the new congress. It served as the seat of government until 1846, until President Manuel Bulnes moved to La Moneda Palace.

Plaza de Armas is a transfer station between the Line 3 and Line 5 of the Santiago Metro. It is located under the Plaza de Armas of Santiago. The Line 5 station was opened on 3 March 2000 as part of the extension of the line from Baquedano to Santa Ana. The Line 3 station was opened on 22 January 2019 as part of the inaugural section of the line, from Los Libertadores to Fernando Castillo Velasco.

In January 2022, architects Loreto Lyon and Alejandro Beals, designers of the building over the station, were recognized as "Architects of the Year" by CityLab Santiago for their project.

Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral (Spanish: Catedral Metropolitana de Santiago) is the seat of the Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile and the main temple of the Catholic Church in that country. As a Cathedral Church, it is the permanent seat of the Archbishop of Santiago and is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

It is located in the commune of Santiago, in front of the Plaza de Armas. The architectural ensemble of the cathedral is made up of the Archbishop's Palace, the Parish del Sagrario and the cathedral itself. All these buildings are considered national monuments.

The Central Post Office Building (Spanish: Correo Central de Santiago) is a historic post office building on the northern edge of the Plaza de Armas, in Santiago, Chile. It is adjacent to the Palacio de la Real Audiencia de Santiago and is located on what was the land lot originally owned by Pedro de Valdivia and where he built his house. The site also was occupied by a building that served as Presidential Palace until 1846. Construction of the current building began in 1881 and was designed by Ricardo Brown. Its current appearance dates to 1908.

It was designated a National Monument of Chile in 1976.

The Edificio Comercial Edwards is a cast-iron building used for retail, which is located at the corner of Merced and Paseo Estado streets, on the southeast side of the Plaza de Armas of Santiago. It was designed by Eugenio Joannon and prefabricated in France in 1892, for later being assembled in Chile.

In 1902, Agustín Edwards Mac-Clure acquired the property to transfer it to his brother Raúl, who sold the building to Agustín Gómez. The property was awarded to the Banco Español in 1909 and sold to the Archdiocese of Santiago in 1910. In the 1930s, the building changed hands once again to the Mutual de la Armada, and in 1942 the property was purchased by Etelvino Villanueva, to lease retail space on its first floor.