Santa Lucía Hill

Phyllis and I had the opportunity get away from school one Saturday morning and visit Santa Lucia.  This is kind of an odd structure placed right in the middle of the city.  It is a castle that is built up on a hill and now surrounded by big city buildings.  As we walked  through the gates the facade was quite impressive.  If you look at the picture closely you can see Phyllis back there….

As we climbed lots of stairs..... the views kept getting more amazing.  The smog was covering most of the mountains, but it gives a small glimpse of how large the city is.

This was one of the starting places of the city of Santiago.  Like many places, this one also has an interesting history.  The hill was used as a strategic fort and one side of the hill was strictly set up for defense. Hence, all the stairs and landings on our way up.  It's easier to fight the enemy from the top.  The other side of the hill was used as a “cemetery for the dissidents” of all those who were not Roman Catholic in their following.  In other words, in that era, if we would have died in this city we would have been seen as unclean and not buried in the ground.  The first “cemetery for the dissidents", was created many years later (mid 1800s).  It is interesting to look back in history and think where people have been and where we are going…..

As the picture shows, it can seem that the walls behind us are great.  Even though the shear magnitue can be impressive it proves very applicable to our lives.  As we travel through life we build walls behind us and at times all around us.  Sometimes they are for defense, as in the case of the Santa Lucia fort.  Sometimes they are to protect us as we fight offensively as places of refuge.  No matter if your life-walls are defensive or offensive, there is one crucial component missing here.....there is only ONE winning team.  In God's Book, the Bible, we know who's going to win.......and it's not going to matter how high your walls were.....what matters is what side you are on....Christ's side wins!