Chapter 4:
Chilean culture - learning
about a literary hero

All the excitement caused us to miss a turn though, and we drove about ten minutes off route looking for signs and then a place to turn around. Thankfully we noticed a parked car and a Hyundai representative who pointed us in the right direction when we doubled back. After a quick photo stop along a bridge, we arrived at a museum in Elqui Valley dedicated to Chile’s literary icon Gabriela Mistral. 

As the Tucsons rolled up for valet parking, it was easy to appreciate the new ‘Fluidic Sculpture 2.0’ design philosophy that includes the new hexagonal grille and LED daytime running lights. At night, an auxiliary Static Bending Light also turns on when the steering wheel is turned to provide additional side lighting.  The all-new design treatment at the front brings a bold new face to the Tucson, which no longer looks like a junior crossover but like the accomplished younger brother of the Santa Fé– which in our opinion is a great-looking vehicle. 

Learning about Mistral’s life and work was fascinating, for me at least, and added to the cultural experience as it provided a window to Chilean ideals.

Among other related items, the museum contains more than 3,000 objects that belonged to her, amassed while living in New York and working for the Chilean Government as a representative for the UN.

Among these objects is the wooden board where the writer composed a great part of her work. She lived from 1889 to 1957, and on November 15, 1945, Mistral became the first Latin American and fifth woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, making her a national hero. The museum we were visiting is built right next to the humble house she grew up in.

The quality of the displays and thorough presentations also communicate how deeply she was able to affect her audience and how passionate Chileans are about their national culture. 

Once the tour was completed, the Tucsons were ready to roll again. Awaiting the arrival of our assigned vehicle, we picked up a few souvenirs including a little ceramic whistle fashioned as a bird that produces a shrill sound when semi-filled with water.

This time, one of the Puerto Rican counterparts travelling with me decided to take the wheel, and now I was able to experience being a passenger. I used the opportunity to pair the audio system with my smartphone and to introduce the group to some Trinbagonian music, which the 2016 Tucson’s speakers were well up to playing (as evidenced by the somewhat accurate singalong to Machel Montano’s Music Farm). 

We arrived at a small village known as Pisco Elqui, where we had a scheduled group photo stop in a large park. After all the rearranging and the eventual photo, we did some quick shopping then hit the road again. The level of craftsmanship and packaging of food items showed that although these were seemingly simple country folk, they had an eye for modern and traditional design.

As a result, I couldn’t help but purchase an innovative articulating wooden lamp that reminded me of Disney’s Wall-E and the animated Pixar lamp at the same time. Astoundingly, the people had fashioned the lamp using wood from their home, which was lost in a fire. Despite all appearances, the people were far from ordinary, as I was discovering is generally the case in Chile.

 

Chapter 5 >>