In 2009 I had the good fortune to take a trip that began in Buenos Aires, onward to Argentina’s southernmost city, Ushuaia, then by small ship up the rugged coast of Chile, ending in Valparaiso.

Valparaiso was once an important port city of Chile until the building of the Panama Canal put an end to that. Overlooking the old port on the Pacific are a dozen or more steep hillsides. Running through them are a labyrinth of little streets and numerous twisting footpaths interrupted by flights of steps. Sixteen antiquated funicular cable cars are in continuous use hauling people up and down.

Exploring these little streets I found vibrant color exploding off of every surface: the houses and small shops, painted in brilliant hues, but more surprisingly, walls, sidewalks, steps, utility poles—the most unlikely places--covered with delightful and surprising murals and graffiti, the distinction sometimes blurred. Who painted these streets? I asked, but never found out. But the ghostly presence of the sophisticated artists was palpable. Another unanswered question: are the murals still there following the devastating March 2010 earthquake, a year after these photos were taken? I don’t know.

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Valparaiso, Chile, Big Faces Wall	Valparaiso, Chile, Blue Shoes Doorway	Valparaiso, Chile, Red Root Wall

El Brujo Glacier, Chile