During Valparaíso golden age in the late 19th century, Europeans flocked to the booming seaport of Valparaíso. German and English immigrants built modest wooden homes on two hills called Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción while the social elite and rich merchants constructed elaborate mansions and offices like this one around Sotomayor Square and Plaza Justica. The opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 marked the beginning of the end of Valparaíso’s prosperous era.
