The university is named Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, or UTFSM, but this is often simplified to USM. It is a university devoted to science and technology, particularly engineering, and named after its benefactor, Federico Santa María, who was born in Valparaíso but who made his fortune in the sugar industry in Paris.
Our group is located on the main campus, Casa Central, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean. From this campus it is a short subway ride south to the historic port of Valparaíso, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a short subway ride north to the beach resort town of Vína del Mar.
The area is subject to seismic activity due to movement of the Nazca Plate, receives cold ocean water from Antarctica via the Humboldt Current, and experiences low humidity wind currents from Antarctica as well. The area is visited periodically by the fringes of the ozone hole, occasionally raising the regional UV index as high as 16 in mid-afternoon.
The four-masted sailing ship the Esmeralda (which is Spanish for emerald) visits the port over the Christmas holidays, being greeted by cannon fire from the local naval station that is quite audible from the university campus. Occasionally one can also spot black diesel-electric submarines surfacing in the port.
Historically the main indigenous group in the Valparaíso region were the Mapuche. The largest indigenous group in Chile, they constitute between 5% (self-identified) and 10% (including partial heritage) of the current population of the country. Mapuche art may be found in this region, consisting primarily of silversmithing, textile weaving, and woodcarving using a wide variety of indigenous woods.
Perhaps the most famous of the many Chilean poets is Pablo Neruda, a Nobel prizewinner with a house overlooking the Valparaíso bay. Another noteworthy Chilean poet is Raúl Zurita, who studied Civil Engineering at USM prior to the military Coup in 1973, eventually becoming a celebrated poet.
