Mapocho River

The Mapocho River flows from the Andes mountains onto the west and divides Chile's capital Santiago in two. The Mapocho begins at the confluence of the San Francisco River and Molina River near in the Andes. The main tributary of the former is Yerba Loca Creek, which drains the protected area that bears its same name. Molina River is fed by Iver Glacier, which lies on Cerro El Plomo. A few kilometres westward from its source, the Mapocho receives the waters of the Arrayán Creek and enters to the urban area of Santiago.

The last western spurs of the Andes in this area force a change in the direction of the river, making that it begin to flow toward the south. In the vicinity of Cerro San Cristobal and just to the side of the Costanera Center project, the river collects the waters of the Canal San Carlos. From here, the river flows in a generally southwesterly direction to Plaza Baquedano area, which is a focal point of the city and the site where formerly the Mapocho split into two branches (the southern branch was turned into a promenade during the early years of the republic, now the Avenida Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins avenue).