Metamorphosis of the Alameda Bernardo O'Higgins in Santiago de Chile

How much has the city of Santiago changed since the years of its foundation? Without doubt the lowly, monotonous buildings of past times, when adobe and clay tile predominated, would be unrecognizable. The Alameda ¿ the principal artery of the Chilean capitol ¿ and the object of study of this current piece of work, is a clear synthesis of the vertiginous evolution of the city: The sequence of constructions, of one or two floors, was only interrupted by the Churches that emerged every now and then to produce an abrupt inflection in the silhouette of the buildings Nowadays, the high-rise buildings have multiplied as a result of scant planning norms. Photographs show, with eloquence, the diverse historic moments that mark the metamorphosis of the Alameda. Faced with today¿s reality, what to do with this extensive avenue? Trying to find the lost identity would appear to be a sterile and unnecessary task. It would be too much responsibility on the shoulders of those given the mission of retuning some of the lost attributes. But someone should try to; at least, impose some figurative unity in its image, in favour of something more pleasant on the senses.