Barrio Yungay is the oldest surviving residential neighbourhood in Santiago, predating Barrio Brasil to the east and retaining a remarkable stock of 19th-century housing. The neighbourhood was established in the 1840s on the western edge of the colonial city, and the streets still follow the original grid, lined with traditional cités (working-class courtyard housing), republican-era mansions, and the occasional modernist intrusion.
It is a neighbourhood of artisans, students, and long-term residents who have resisted the gentrification that has transformed adjacent Barrio Brasil. The Plaza Yungay, with its fountain and old trees, is one of the most pleasant small squares in the city. The Biblioteca de Santiago anchors the cultural life. The neighbourhood is easily reached by foot from the city centre via the Alameda.