Overlooked by the imposing Edificio de la Comandancia Naval, the Plaza Sotomayor is the site of a monument to heroes of the Battle of Iquique, the 1879 turning point in the war between Peru and Chile. Captain Arturo Prat Chacón, commanding the wooden corvette Esmeralda, lost his life in a heroic attempt to board the Peruvian ironclad Huáscar. Chileans take their naval heroes seriously; a national holiday on May 21 commemorates the battle. At the foot of the plaza is the Muelle Prat, or Prat Pier, bustling with tourists from sea and shore.
