CULTURE

Western travelers are less noticeable than in neighboring Peru and Bolivia because of Chile's European heritage. The European education of many Chilean intellectuals influenced the country's art, music and architecture. As a result art galleries, museums and a thriving theater scene are a large part of Chilean culture. Nobel Prize-winning poets Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda were products of Chile and, until the military coup of 1973, its cinema was among the most experimental in Latin America. The country's oppressed used folk music as an important vent, and was regularly performed overseas by exiles during Pinochet's reign.

Religion is big in Chile and over 90% of the inhabitants are Roman Catholic, but evangelical Protestantism is becoming popular. Impressive and omnipresent best represents the country's Catholic architecture, from high-flying colonial churches to roadside shrines, some of which are amazing manifestations of folk art. Chile's official language is spanish, though many other native languages are still spoken. In the south there are perhaps half a million speakers of Mapuche and in the north, there are more than 20,000 speakers of Aymara.

Chile's cuisine reflects the country's topographical variety, and features seafood, beef, fresh fruit and vegetables. Chile's biggest standard meal is lomo a lo pobre - a giant slab of beef topped with two fried eggs and buried in chips. Curanto, one of the nation's finest dishes, hearty stew of fish, shellfish, chicken, pork, lamb, beef and potato. Chilean wines are perhaps South America's best. A pisco sour is a popular drink which easily gets you piscoed - it's a grape brandy served with lemon juice, egg white and powdered sugar.

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