Muñoz Gamero Square

“The southernmost city in the world”

The brochures repeat it, but Punta Arenas is not the southernmost city in the world. Ushuaia in Argentina and Puerto Williams in Chile are both further south, and they dispute the title between themselves.

Punta Arenas is not in that argument. Its real claim is a different one, and it is true: it is the largest city, and historically the main one, south of the 46th parallel.

Source:

• puq.city research brief 05, «Local lore and anecdotes», §14 (the southernmost-city claim).

Kiss the toe

The monument to Ferdinand Magellan, by the sculptor Guillermo Córdova, was unveiled in 1920 for the fourth centenary of his passage through the Strait. At its base sits the figure of a Patagonian Indian.

The custom of touching or kissing his big toe is thoroughly attested: the bronze is polished to a shine. It is said to bring good luck, a safe voyage and, above all, a return to Punta Arenas.

The origin is another matter. The tale of the sailor who had the figure tattooed on his chest and came back to thank it appears, nearly word for word, on a couple of sites: that part is legend.

Source:

• Universidad de Chile, Antología «Geografía del mito y la leyenda chilenos» (entry on the toe of the indio on the Magellan monument).
• El Pingüino, «Beso a la pata del indio: un mito urbano de Punta Arenas famoso en todo el mundo», 14 de febrero de 2016.
• Consejo de Monumentos Nacionales de Chile, ficha «Hernando de Magallanes».