Upianita: Santiageno Culture

From the entrance it looks likes nothing more then your typical park. However, every weekend around 2:00 in the afternoon Upianita is hoping with Santageno culture. First comes the traditional food. You can order empanadas, and just about anything that comes off the grill from steak and ribs to goat. Most people bring their own drinks and buy their food. Then there is a live band playing typical music from Santiago and then dancers in the traditional dress who are dancing the traditional dances especially the chacarera. You have to pay close attention to the whole area because there are things to see and hear covering the whole grounds. If you walk all the way back to the forest part of the park, you will find an outdoor art gallery that is a great way to become educated on many of the traditional legends of the area. Then you will hear the click and clatter of horses hooves as the traditional horse and buggy "sury" takes people around as well as people take horse back rides around the lake. The best part of the experience for me was getting to share it with a family from Santiago. A local pastor and his wife had brought their family and they were able to "shed a lot of light" on things for me. They explained a lot of the differences in the styles of dances and the art. I enjoyed being able to spend time with them and see things from the perspective of an insider.