Valparaíso played an important geopolitical role in the second half of the 19th century when it served as a major stopover for ships traveling between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans via the Straits of Magellan. The area experienced rapid growth during its golden age as a magnet for European immigrants, when the city was known by international sailors as "Little San Francisco" and "jewel of the Pacific".Between Two Worlds: Memoirs of a Philosopher-Scientist p. 120 Notable developments during this bustling period include Latin America's oldest stock exchange, the continent's first volunteer fire department, Chile's first public library, and the oldest Spanish language newspaper in continuous publication in the world, . In 2003, the historic quarter of Valparaíso was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
valparaíso played an imp.ortant geopolitical role in the second half of the 19th century when it served as a major stopover for ships tr:aveling between the atlantic and pacific oceans via the straits of magellan the area experienced rapid growth during its golden age as a magnet for european immigrants when the city was known by international s.ailors as "little san francisco" and "jewel of the pacific"between two worlds memoirs of a philosopher-scientist p 120 notable developments during this bustling period i?nclude latin america's oldest stock exchange the continent's first volunteer fire department chile's first public library and the oldest spanish language newspaper in continuous publication in the world  in 2003 the historic quarter of valparaíso was declared a unesco world heritage site