La Serena

La Serena, capital of the Coquimbo Region and Elqui Province, is Chile's second oldest city, founded in 1544 on the northern Pacific coast. Located 479 kilometres north of Santiago, the city preserves a valuable colonial heritage of churches and mansions from the 17th and 18th centuries, coexisting with a modernity driven by a robust university and services sector. Its conurbation with neighbouring Coquimbo exceeds 420,000 inhabitants, making it Chile's fourth metropolitan area.

La Serena also occupies a unique place in the scientific world: within a 600-kilometre radius, more than 40% of the world's telescopic capacity is concentrated, with world-class observatories such as the Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory, La Silla, and Las Campanas, which have made it the astronomical capital of the Americas. This vocation for science, nature, and outdoor sport sustains an active community that contributes more than 12,000 participants to the ACES Activa ecosystem.