As a homeschooler, I strive to know as much information, as I possibly can for my education. One of the best ways to get that information, I personally think, is museums. As the last leg of our trip, we had to stay in Santiago, Chile for all of Wednesday before our flight at 11:45 PM. So my mom took the initiative and took us to the Museum of Memory and Human Rights in Santiago!
The history of Chile is a long and complex one, deeply intertwined with unforgetable events and cultural influences that have shaped the nation over the centuries. Unfortunately, on this particular trip, I did not have the opportunity to dive too deeply into the historical background of Chile. But I did have a profound learning experience as I gained knowledge into the two-decade-long military regime and the consequential human rights conflict that left an indesribable mark on the Chilean nation for generations to come. This period of history significantly impacted the socio-political part of Chile, leaving a true mark and collective memory that will never be forgoten.
The Museum and What it Stands For
The Santiago Human Museum, inaugurated on January 11, 2010, commemorates the victims of the military dictatorship in Chile from September 11, 1973, to March 10, 1990. It honors those who were tortured and killed during this period to prevent such atrocities from happening again. Truth commissions were established around Chile to investigate human rights violations during the dictatorship. These commissions aimed to reveal the truth about the widespread torture, executions, and disappearances, with efforts to recover sites once used for torture.
The History
The events of September 11, 1973, marked a significant turning point in the history of Chile. A military coup, which had been brewing in the background, culminated in a swift and forceful takeover of the government. Terror reigned for two decades, and concluded in the 1990’s with scars and memories that would never be forgoten.
The fateful day unfolded with a sense of foreboding as military groups arrived at government buildings early in the morning, swiftly and discretly dismissing workers and sending them home. Before noon, the government building had been bombed, sending the country into chaos and fear. It was on this day that the President delivered his final speech before being assassinated leaving the nation in shock and mourning.
As if the day couldn’t get any worse, the military ruthlessly took control of the nation by cutting off all communication by raido. Turning the civilians out into a dead silence of what was going on. Finally, by evening a disturbing raid broadcast comfirmed the full takeover of the Cheilan government by the military. What was to happen now?
In the weeks following these events, artifacts salvaged from the ruins of the bombed building can be witneses to the faitful day. Among these fragments of memory are a poignant symbol of the shattered presidential office —a typewriter and a once-glowing start that now remained burned and extinguished. These artifacts served as silent but powerful reminders of the shift in power and loss that had befallen the nation.
The horos in the next sixteen years are still hard to speak about today, but they are crutial to keeping history alive. After the first day in the regimes power, the new government struck fear and control in the nation. Putting in place a nation wide curfue, and anyone caught ouside without a pass could be tetained. In the next weeks, the military government went as far to use the media to publish fake, non existent, left wing plans for the country. The plan clained that the left with party was going to corrupt the nation, and even went as far as to publish a list of people they were going to “assassinate”. This ofcourse was all just a houx, but it worked in striking fear and wonder in the nation.
Another form of control was exile. The goverment exiled hundres of people, throwing them out of their homes and dragging them to the boarder. Many fled, never to come home again. The airplane staircase seen at the back of the building outside resmbles the thousands of people who had to flea their country.
In 1975 coverups were done of men and women who had been seceretly detained, or shoved into forced disaperence. Hudreds of people were forced into disaperence and taken into concentration camps. Over 2000 children were POW (prisoners of war). Over 200 were killed, and torchored. Carlos Femita was the youngest detained minor during the rein. He was taken from his home at just 13, turned in by a neighbor after a quarrel. His family searched all over the country for him for months but to no avail. By chance in 2000, they happened apon his remains at an intersection of crossroads. Dumped on the sidlines to be turned into dust.
After years of termoil, groups finaly started to pop up around the nation, offering much needed help to those displaced or releiced from detention camps and in need of shelter. The first demention of people were actually churches. Opening their doors and starting hlep orginizations to those in need.
In 1983 the association to help those who are missing family members started up. Women were actually the main creator of the groups, also develiping dances and making freedom signs and starting peacful protests nation wide to stop the regim. The women marching became a simble of freedom and strength throughout the comunities. Another simble they made was a sign of a life-size human figure, black and white background with a question in the middle. Did you forget me? The sign became a public symbol.
3327 victims surcame to the fate of execution during the regim. To remeber these people, over 1200 photographs have been sumitted by family members to the museum. They stand in glass frams on the main wall in the museum, most photos the last ones families have of thier loved ones.
In august of 1980, a meeting was held in a theater to petition for a new constitution. The presitent oppesed the notion, claming: it does not meet the requirements to hav a legitimate constitition. 1981 the president and secretary are imprisoned, and killed not long after. 1982 the “kill by cab” started. High officals would go missing, and be found dead inside a taxi cab. The leader of the union workiers moment was also chosen to be murdered.
The Worders unity was a mouvment from the public work force. They resisted the goverment and proested to free the prisoners fomr detaning camps, and to stop the militay overthrow and bring back the country to democracy.
A tragic story, but nees to be remember: the ilitary captured two students while at a protest: 18 year old boy and 19 year old girl who was a phtographer. They were douced in arisol and set on fire in the streets. The bodies were found, meractusly alive, and take near by to a hispital. Rodrigo (18) died four days later from his burns. The girl lived with 60% of her body burned and underwnet many long surgies. Including being hisiolized in Canada and other forgen countries to save her life.
May 1983 was a national day of protest against the dictatorship. Everyone took to the streets, shouting and spitting aginst the military control. Most protests ended up in more than half the crowd being captured and taken to the camps. This went on for years, and peacful protesting turned into a chaotic mess at the end of the day. “When will it end?” the nation wonders.
Finally in 1988, a voting system is set up throughout the country. There were two parties: “Yes.” for the continuation of the military control. Or “Non” for a new democratic leader. No more dictatorship! 92% of the population of Chile (people over 18 years of age) resistered to vote. On October 8, 1988, the polls opened at 8AM. By 4 pm the country had voted. More than 60,000 peole servied as proxies in the voting process at over 2,200 voting tables. Byt 2AM the vitory had been dicided: “Non!” had won with 53% of the votes!
Between 1988 ad 1989 the repression contineued, and the courts still failed to protect sitizens, but on July 30, 1989, after the triumph of the “Non!” vote, dictatiorship achieved and changes privin reforms to the 1980 constitution. A meeting was held and by Feburary, a mass seasure of midical documents was taken from a institution, in which held the docmunet recoreds of those detained at the concentration camps. In May 1988 the last assassination happened when a studen at the University of Chile was shot in the street.
December 14, 1989, the long-awaited presidential elections were held. Consiquetialy at the same grounds where the biggest concentration camp was held. the new president delivered a speech in front of thousands of people in the stadium. Radio’s were at full volume and people crowded in the streets. As the new president wrapped up, a roar went up for the victory of the nation. This was the end of the horror and the beginning of a new start.