First on my list was El Museo del Memoria y los Derechos Humanos. It's a powerful and thoughtful museum, akin to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. Photos are not permitted inside, which is probably for the best as this kept me focused and present.
The museum begins with photos of memorials throughout the country dedicated those who were tortured, killed, or disappeared during Pinochet's dictatorship.
A TV plays footage from the morning of September 11, 1973 when the Chilean Air Force attacked La Moneda. The black and white footage is grainy and eerie.
A book of children's art from the 1980s, titled "Quermos Ser Felices Hoy" (We Want to be Happy Today), is haunting. These children realize their loved ones are gone for good and are fearful. It reminded me Of "I Never Saw Another Butterfly," a book of art and writings from children in World War II concentration camps.
The museum documents the human rights abuses by Pinochet and his government, how Chileans coped, and the world's response (or lack thereof). It was fascinating to see Chile's journey from democracy to dictatorship and ultimately back to democracy when Pinochet lost a 1988 referendum. TV commercials urged Chileans to vote either sí for Pinochet to remain in power or no to remove Pinochet and return to democracy. In the end, 43% voted sí for Pinochet while 54% voted no.
When I visited, the museum featured an exhibition of Botero's paintings and sketchings on Abu Ghraib. Normally, Botero's oversized representations of people make me smile. Here, however, because he has vividly depicted brutal scenes of torture and humiliation of suspected terrorists at the hands of a few American soldiers, the exaggerated softness and curves of his figures makes them seem vulnerable and lonely.
For something a little lighter, I planned to see La Chascona, Pablo Neruda's house. He had three houses in Chile, each of which is reportedly overfilled with the items he collected. There was a three hour wait for the next available guided tour and you had to do a tour to get inside. Disappointing, but I was delighted when I realized she wanted to put me in a Spanish language tour. I asked about English tours and she responded, "Pero eres chileno, no?"
Quick aside: I met a pretentious backpacker in a hostel somewhere earlier on this trip who gushed about how Neruda was her all time favourite Chilean poet. I said if she could name just one other Chilean poet of any time, I'd give her $100. Perhaps not my most patient moment, but she calmed down after that. For future reference, Gabriela Mistral is a famous Chilean poet who was the first Latin American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature and appears on the 5,000 peso bill.
Since it was a clear, non-hazy day, I wandered from Neruda's house towards Cerro San Cristobal. You can either walk up the hill (something I usually enjoy doing) or take the funicular up a steep incline. When the pope visited the city in 1987, he rode it to the top so I figured the funicular was good enough for me.
At the peak is the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception.
I had a great view of the city and the surrounding mountains.
For me, a trip to Santiago isn't complete without spending seem time in Parque Forestal.
Of course, this meant Mini Bear I found ourselves back at El Emporio La Rosa for an afternoon ice cream. On top was frambuesa menta, which was so refreshing, and my curiosity led me to try chocolate pepper. It wasn't nearly as spicy as I has expected, though about a minute after I had finished it, I realized my tongue was tingling and mildly burning the way it did when as a kid I'd eat too many of those spicy cinnamon hearts at Valentine's Day!
No comments:
Post a Comment