It is unmistakable. Silhouetted against Santiago de Chile’s mountainous backdrop, the Telefónica Tower aims to remind us of the origin of the mobile telecommunications revolution.

A rectangular building with sharp lines, shiny and imposing, modern and nostalgic at the same time. It has an antenna-like structure on its side, and the skyscraper looks like one of the first cordless telephones of the 1990s.

At 143 meters high and 34 stories, the main building of the Telefónica Tower, which was built by Ferrovial, was the tallest in Chile and one of the tallest in all of South America from 1996 to 1999. In fact, in the shadow of the antennas on the 35th story (the roof) is one of the city’s helipads.

The main tower is flanked by two other twin buildings that aren’t quite as tall at 10 stories each, adding a total built area of over 61,000 square meters. One that’s connected to the main tower houses the Fundación Telefónica’s conference spaces and exhibition halls. The other, the Bustamante building, is slightly separated from the complex by an interior atrium that houses the Museum of Telecommunications.

The Telefónica Tower, strategically located between the communes of Providencia and Santiago, is still considered an architectural landmark in the Chilean capital. Its modern architecture still stands out in the city’s skyline, while the mirrored glass that makes up its façade reflects the unstoppable pace of the city and its 6.5 million inhabitants.