The Legacy Project: Chile/Argentina Trip Report

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May 11, 2009: Departed Seattle for Santiago, Chile, followed by bus to Valparaiso.

May 12-13: Valparaiso - Guest House El Rincon Marino

Meeting with Susan Cabello, journalist: Susan Cabello's father, Winston Cabello, and official in Salvador Allende's government, was killed in 1973 by Pinochet's Caravan of Death. Today, she lives in Valparaiso, working as a journalist while preparing her research for publication. We spoke with Susan and her colleague in their home... [Read More]

Tour of Congress: While our meeting with Sen. Fernando Flores was unfortunately canceled, his secretary was kind enough to organize a special tour of the Chilean Congress for us. Guided by Hugo, we were led through the Chamber of Deputies (which has an unpolished copper wall to represent the laws that are authored there), the Senate (which has a polished copper wall, as the rough laws coming out of the Deputies are revised there), and the central hall, where the national motto - "By reason or by force" is proudly displayed.

May 14-19: Santiago - EcoHostel

Meeting with Marcela Sandoval and Simona Ruy-Perez of CINTRAS: CINTRAS, the Center for Mental Health and Human Rights, was established in 1985 to tend to the mental health needs of the military dictatorship's victims. Working under Pinochet's nose required considerable caution. Even the name they chose afforded a measure of clandestineness; literally, CINTRAS stands for Center for the Study of the Treatment of Stress. We had the opportunity to speak with Marcela and Simona, both members of the Center's Board of Directors... [Read More]

Meeting with Maria Paz Vergara Low, Executive Secretary of Fundacion Vicaria de la Solidaridad: When the renowned Vicaria ceased operating in 1990, as the military dictatorship ground to a halt, it left behind an incredible archive, housing the Vicaria's 16 years of documents. The Fundacion was established soon after, to administer and preserve those records, while ensuring that victims of the dictatorship continue to have a voice in Chile... [Read More]

Meeting with Haydee Oberreuter, spokesman for Agrupacion Nacional de Familiares de Ex Prisioneros Politicos Fallecidos: We spent a memorable afternoon in Santiago with a small but diverse group of local Chileans, all of whom made an impact on us. The gathering was coordinated by Jeronimo Ruiz, of the band Entrefuego; he was joined by his mother, who is active in the ANEXPP, musician Daniel Pavie (of the band Nuestra Venganza) and journalist Francisco Luna. But, all eyes were on Haydee, who told her story of resistance and social activism in Pinochet's Chile... [Read More]

Meeting with Ricardo Riffo Chiguyante of Derechos Radio: It was a meeting that almost never happened. After taking Santiago's metro to the end of the line, we disembarked, disoriented and unable to find the roads Google Maps had assured us would meet us there. Locals swore such roads didn't exist. But, after wandering around the San Ramon neighborhood for a while with little hope, we unexpectedly stumbled into the street we were seeking, the street that would lead us to the Derechos Radio station. And, good thing, too - because this meeting was the great surprise of the trip... [Read More]

Full day with Pedro Matta: There is a moment on every Legacy Project trip when one is finally struck by the realization that he is no longer studying a detached and distant history, but actually walking through something real, pernicious, and potent. This is not a matter of academic curiosity, but rather life and death. Mr. Matta, a survivor of Chile's most notorious torture camp, Villa Grimaldi, led us through this site of terrible memories, as well as Santiago's General Cemetery. None of us emerged unchanged... [Read More]

Meeting with Rosa Silva Alvarez, member of Agrupacion de Familiares de Ejecutados Politicos Executive Committee: We meet Rosa in the Plaza de Armas, an ironic setting for a discussion with a vocal proponent of non-violent action in Santiago. The waiter at the Marco Polo restaurant brings us menus and then goes inside, never to be seen again. Before we finish the introductions, Rosa is already on her second cigarette and already fired up. It is immediately clear that this human rights lawyer with AFEP neither suffers fools gladly nor pulls punches... [Read More]

Meet with Sergio Laurenti of Amnesty International Chile: Sometimes, meetings go in a direction you cannot anticipate in advance. When we originally scheduled our meeting with Amnesty International, we expected a discussion of the organization's current human rights work in Chile. What we got instead was a historical lesson - and a good one, at that - which helped to fill in some gaps for us... [Read More]

Meet with Alvaro Ramis of ATTAC: By this point in our visit to Chile, we had heard a great deal of testimony about the human rights abuses perpetrated by the military dictatorship and the social and political ramifications of that era on Chile today. However, the information we had gathered - largely anecdotal/qualitative - was quite similar in nature. That made our visit with Alvaro of the economically-focused ATTAC all the more enlightening. His presentation, built strictly around quantitative data, painted a very different portrait of the post-Pinochet transition than we had seen up to that point... [Read More]

May 20-22: Mendoza - Hostel Independencia

We spent two nights in Mendoza, a literal transition point as we moved from Chile to Argentina (and specifically Buenos Aires, where the bulk of our meetings were scheduled), and also a figurative one as we reviewed what we had learned in Chile and prepared for several new lines of questioning as we headed east. While we were unable to schedule any LP-specific meetings in Mendoza, we enjoyed the tree-lined boulevards, raved (a little too much, probably) about the coffee, got frustrated with the falafel joint that never opened, cooed before the tic-tac-toad, and loathed our hostel, which seemed philosophically opposed to quiet until 3am.

May 23: Rosario

While our hostel in Mendoza might have frustrated us, at least it honored our reservation. The Che Pampas hostel in Rosario canceled ours without a warning, leaving us bed-less in a popular Argentine beach town on a holiday weekend. Ultimately, this resulted in a swift change of plans, bringing us out of Rosario after a half-day visit and in to Buenos Aires that night. Still, half a day was plenty to see all that Rosario has to offer. The Museo de la Memoria attracted us to Rosario, though we were surprised by just how small it is. Nonetheless, its current exhibit, Ausencias, has some powerful images and the helpful people at the museum provided us with some excellent materials to take home. While in Rosario, we also stumbled across a former detention center, located in the middle of town. Today, its foundation lists the names of all known victims from the area.

May 23 - June 2: Buenos Aires - Sandanzas Cultural Hostel

While our surprising early departure from Rosario was unsettling at the time, it really was a blessing as it gave us some extra time in Buenos Aires to take advantage of two great cultural events. Our first full day in town featured the count down to Argentina's Independence Day, the 25 de Mayo, with a concert attended by over 60,000 Argentines - including us, of course! We were also fortunate to attend ArteBA, Latin America's biggest contemporary arts festival. Combined with a later visit to the Gaucho Fair, we had three distinctive Buenos Aires cultural experiences...

We started our work in Buenos Aires with a research trip, locating the major clandestine detention/torture/extermination centers in the city and reviewing the documentation of each in Nunca Mas. Through this process, we hoped to not only see the centers from the outside, but also find contact information to arrange visits. The trip included stops at Club Atletico, Garage Azopardo, Hospital Militar Central, ESMA, Automotores Orletti, El Olimpo, and Virrey Cevallos. For more information on the former CCDTyEs of Buenos Aires, check out our page on the subject.

Guided visit to Parque de la Memoria: Inaugurated in 2007, though still nowhere near completion, the Park combines a number of original sculptures and other works of art with a memorial wall listing the names of the military dictatorship's victims. Set on the banks of the Rio de la Plata - particularly appropriate, given that victims of the regime were frequently found washed up on shore - the Park will also ultimately serve as a research center, supporting investigations into the dictatorship's abuses. Our guide, Tomas Tercero, led us by the major works currently on display, describing the symbolism at work in each... [Read More]

Guided visit to Club Atletico: After a few conversations with the friendly security guards, we finally gained access to the Club Atletico excavations. Once one of the more significant detention and torture centers in Buenos Aires, it was demolished in late 1977 to make room for a new freeway. However, in recent years excavations began to find what remained. A member of the Institute for Memory was on hand to point out what has been recovered and explain the ongoing work... [Read More]

Meeting with Marie Trigona: An American free-lance journalist, filmmaker, and social activist living in Buenos Aires, Marie is well-versed in many issues relevant to the Legacy Project and a wonderful person for us to speak with. We met in the historic Hotel Bauen, watched several short features produced by her film collective, Agora TV, and discussed the pursuit of social justice in Argentina today... [Read More]

Meeting with journalist Charles Newbery: We cast a wide net when scheduling our trips, looking far and wide for people who can help us get an authentic feel for the places we're visiting and the experiences of the people who live there. We found Charles, a free-lance journalist and American ex-pat, via his website. We didn't enter the meeting with a clear sense of where the conversation would go - and neither did he - but it ended up being a very useful overview of some critical issues in Buenos Aires today, which helped to inform our later interviews... [Read More]

Meet with Buscarita Roa of Las Abuelas: While the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo have become known around the world for their resistance and defiance of the Argentine military dictatorship, their generational forerunners, the Abuelas of the Plaza de Mayo, have played and continue to play a similarly critical role. We spoke with Abuela Buscarita Roa who, like many members of the organization, had her daughter and granddaughter disappeared. As we learned, her story is a fascinating one - especially in the years following the dictatorship... [Read More]

Guided visits to Museo de Arte y Memoria and La Comision Provincial por la Memoria: Getting out of Buenos Aires for a little while, we made a day-trip down to La Plata to visit the Museum of Art and Memory, followed by the Provincial Commission for Memory. The two stops reflected two complementary ways that we have for processing and remembering traumatic events - and both speak to the critical role played by memory in national reconciliation... [Read More]

Baldosa dedication to Antonio Sosa: Organized by the neighborhood association, Vecinos de San Cristobal contra la Impunidad, this ceremony honored a desaparecido, Antonio Sosa, with a commemorative plaque ("baldosa") in the sidewalk outside of the building where he lived. The baldosas have been a major point of focus for the Vecinos, and a stroll around Buenos Aires is increasingly likely to lead the walker past one of these colorful memorials. We were fortunate enough to be invited to the ceremony... [Read More]

Guided visit to Virrey Cevallos CCDTyE: First opened to the public last December (2008), this former detention and torture center is on a quiet, residential block of Virrey Cevallos in Buenos Aires, adjoined on three sides by other domestic residences. Nearly sold to a private buyer, it was reclaimed by the neighborhood, which now works for its preservation and documentation. Our visit was guided by Leonardo Surraco, who told us what they've learned about this little-known center... [Read More]

Guided visit to ESMA: Sometimes referred to as the "Auschwitz of Argentina," ESMA is the most notorious of Argentina's many clandestine centers of detention, torture, and execution. More than a detention center, it was a sprawling, naval complex on the city's northern end, where many officers worked and trained - and, of course, dealt with so-called subversives... [Read More]

Meeting with Agustin Centrangolo of HIJOS: Originally founded by the children of Argentina's disappeared, HIJOS today includes many young Argentines, committed to the continued pursuit of truth and justice for their country and their relatives. We met Agustin in the Argentine Congressional building, where he is an aide to Congresswoman Victoria Donda. Our last interview in South America, the conversation ran in a number of different directions... [Read More]

June 2, 2009: Depart Buenos Aires / Return Home.

More on the Legacy Project's 2010 program in Chile and Argentina:

Application: Click here to apply for the Legacy Project's 2010 program in Chile and Argentina!

Itinerary: A rough overview of the trip as planned (regularly updated).

FAQ: Answers to the most common questions we hear about our student trips.

Trip Cost: A breakdown of the 2010 program costs in Chile and Argentina

Argentine Detention Centers: An overview of the major ex-Clandestine Centers of Detention, Torture, and Execution in Buenos Aires with advice on visiting them

Annotated Bibliography: The most useful books we have read in preparation for the program

Other Resources: Assorted links to helpful sites

	Argentina/Chile Trip Report
Home	Application / Itinerary / FAQ / Trip Cost May 11, 2009: Departed Seattle for Santiago, Chile, followed by bus to Valparaiso. May 12-13: Valparaiso - Guest House El Rincon Marino Meeting with Susan Cabello, journalist: Susan Cabello's father, Winston Cabello, and official in Salvador Allende's government, was killed in 1973 by Pinochet's Caravan of Death. Today, she lives in Valparaiso, working as a journalist while preparing her research for publication. We spoke with Susan and her colleague in their home... [Read More] Tour of Congress: While our meeting with Sen. Fernando Flores was unfortunately canceled, his secretary was kind enough to organize a special tour of the Chilean Congress for us. Guided by Hugo, we were led through the Chamber of Deputies (which has an unpolished copper wall to represent the laws that are authored there), the Senate (which has a polished copper wall, as the rough laws coming out of the Deputies are revised there), and the central hall, where the national motto - "By reason or by force" is proudly displayed. May 14-19: Santiago - EcoHostel Meeting with Marcela Sandoval and Simona Ruy-Perez of CINTRAS: CINTRAS, the Center for Mental Health and Human Rights, was established in 1985 to tend to the mental health needs of the military dictatorship's victims. Working under Pinochet's nose required considerable caution. Even the name they chose afforded a measure of clandestineness; literally, CINTRAS stands for Center for the Study of the Treatment of Stress. We had the opportunity to speak with Marcela and Simona, both members of the Center's Board of Directors... [Read More] Meeting with Maria Paz Vergara Low, Executive Secretary of Fundacion Vicaria de la Solidaridad: When the renowned Vicaria ceased operating in 1990, as the military dictatorship ground to a halt, it left behind an incredible archive, housing the Vicaria's 16 years of documents. The Fundacion was established soon after, to administer and preserve those records, while ensuring that victims of the dictatorship continue to have a voice in Chile... [Read More] Meeting with Haydee Oberreuter, spokesman for Agrupacion Nacional de Familiares de Ex Prisioneros Politicos Fallecidos: We spent a memorable afternoon in Santiago with a small but diverse group of local Chileans, all of whom made an impact on us. The gathering was coordinated by Jeronimo Ruiz, of the band Entrefuego; he was joined by his mother, who is active in the ANEXPP, musician Daniel Pavie (of the band Nuestra Venganza) and journalist Francisco Luna. But, all eyes were on Haydee, who told her story of resistance and social activism in Pinochet's Chile... [Read More] Meeting with Ricardo Riffo Chiguyante of Derechos Radio: It was a meeting that almost never happened. After taking Santiago's metro to the end of the line, we disembarked, disoriented and unable to find the roads Google Maps had assured us would meet us there. Locals swore such roads didn't exist. But, after wandering around the San Ramon neighborhood for a while with little hope, we unexpectedly stumbled into the street we were seeking, the street that would lead us to the Derechos Radio station. And, good thing, too - because this meeting was the great surprise of the trip... [Read More] Full day with Pedro Matta: There is a moment on every Legacy Project trip when one is finally struck by the realization that he is no longer studying a detached and distant history, but actually walking through something real, pernicious, and potent. This is not a matter of academic curiosity, but rather life and death. Mr. Matta, a survivor of Chile's most notorious torture camp, Villa Grimaldi, led us through this site of terrible memories, as well as Santiago's General Cemetery. None of us emerged unchanged... [Read More] Meeting with Rosa Silva Alvarez, member of Agrupacion de Familiares de Ejecutados Politicos Executive Committee: We meet Rosa in the Plaza de Armas, an ironic setting for a discussion with a vocal proponent of non-violent action in Santiago. The waiter at the Marco Polo restaurant brings us menus and then goes inside, never to be seen again. Before we finish the introductions, Rosa is already on her second cigarette and already fired up. It is immediately clear that this human rights lawyer with AFEP neither suffers fools gladly nor pulls punches... [Read More] Meet with Sergio Laurenti of Amnesty International Chile: Sometimes, meetings go in a direction you cannot anticipate in advance. When we originally scheduled our meeting with Amnesty International, we expected a discussion of the organization's current human rights work in Chile. What we got instead was a historical lesson - and a good one, at that - which helped to fill in some gaps for us... [Read More] Meet with Alvaro Ramis of ATTAC: By this point in our visit to Chile, we had heard a great deal of testimony about the human rights abuses perpetrated by the military dictatorship and the social and political ramifications of that era on Chile today. However, the information we had gathered - largely anecdotal/qualitative - was quite similar in nature. That made our visit with Alvaro of the economically-focused ATTAC all the more enlightening. His presentation, built strictly around quantitative data, painted a very different portrait of the post-Pinochet transition than we had seen up to that point... [Read More] May 20-22: Mendoza - Hostel Independencia We spent two nights in Mendoza, a literal transition point as we moved from Chile to Argentina (and specifically Buenos Aires, where the bulk of our meetings were scheduled), and also a figurative one as we reviewed what we had learned in Chile and prepared for several new lines of questioning as we headed east. While we were unable to schedule any LP-specific meetings in Mendoza, we enjoyed the tree-lined boulevards, raved (a little too much, probably) about the coffee, got frustrated with the falafel joint that never opened, cooed before the tic-tac-toad, and loathed our hostel, which seemed philosophically opposed to quiet until 3am. May 23: Rosario While our hostel in Mendoza might have frustrated us, at least it honored our reservation. The Che Pampas hostel in Rosario canceled ours without a warning, leaving us bed-less in a popular Argentine beach town on a holiday weekend. Ultimately, this resulted in a swift change of plans, bringing us out of Rosario after a half-day visit and in to Buenos Aires that night. Still, half a day was plenty to see all that Rosario has to offer. The Museo de la Memoria attracted us to Rosario, though we were surprised by just how small it is. Nonetheless, its current exhibit, Ausencias, has some powerful images and the helpful people at the museum provided us with some excellent materials to take home. While in Rosario, we also stumbled across a former detention center, located in the middle of town. Today, its foundation lists the names of all known victims from the area. May 23 - June 2: Buenos Aires - Sandanzas Cultural Hostel While our surprising early departure from Rosario was unsettling at the time, it really was a blessing as it gave us some extra time in Buenos Aires to take advantage of two great cultural events. Our first full day in town featured the count down to Argentina's Independence Day, the 25 de Mayo, with a concert attended by over 60,000 Argentines - including us, of course! We were also fortunate to attend ArteBA, Latin America's biggest contemporary arts festival. Combined with a later visit to the Gaucho Fair, we had three distinctive Buenos Aires cultural experiences... We started our work in Buenos Aires with a research trip, locating the major clandestine detention/torture/extermination centers in the city and reviewing the documentation of each in Nunca Mas. Through this process, we hoped to not only see the centers from the outside, but also find contact information to arrange visits. The trip included stops at Club Atletico, Garage Azopardo, Hospital Militar Central, ESMA, Automotores Orletti, El Olimpo, and Virrey Cevallos. For more information on the former CCDTyEs of Buenos Aires, check out our page on the subject. Guided visit to Parque de la Memoria: Inaugurated in 2007, though still nowhere near completion, the Park combines a number of original sculptures and other works of art with a memorial wall listing the names of the military dictatorship's victims. Set on the banks of the Rio de la Plata - particularly appropriate, given that victims of the regime were frequently found washed up on shore - the Park will also ultimately serve as a research center, supporting investigations into the dictatorship's abuses. Our guide, Tomas Tercero, led us by the major works currently on display, describing the symbolism at work in each... [Read More] Guided visit to Club Atletico: After a few conversations with the friendly security guards, we finally gained access to the Club Atletico excavations. Once one of the more significant detention and torture centers in Buenos Aires, it was demolished in late 1977 to make room for a new freeway. However, in recent years excavations began to find what remained. A member of the Institute for Memory was on hand to point out what has been recovered and explain the ongoing work... [Read More] Meeting with Marie Trigona: An American free-lance journalist, filmmaker, and social activist living in Buenos Aires, Marie is well-versed in many issues relevant to the Legacy Project and a wonderful person for us to speak with. We met in the historic Hotel Bauen, watched several short features produced by her film collective, Agora TV, and discussed the pursuit of social justice in Argentina today... [Read More] Meeting with journalist Charles Newbery: We cast a wide net when scheduling our trips, looking far and wide for people who can help us get an authentic feel for the places we're visiting and the experiences of the people who live there. We found Charles, a free-lance journalist and American ex-pat, via his website. We didn't enter the meeting with a clear sense of where the conversation would go - and neither did he - but it ended up being a very useful overview of some critical issues in Buenos Aires today, which helped to inform our later interviews... [Read More] Meet with Buscarita Roa of Las Abuelas: While the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo have become known around the world for their resistance and defiance of the Argentine military dictatorship, their generational forerunners, the Abuelas of the Plaza de Mayo, have played and continue to play a similarly critical role. We spoke with Abuela Buscarita Roa who, like many members of the organization, had her daughter and granddaughter disappeared. As we learned, her story is a fascinating one - especially in the years following the dictatorship... [Read More] Guided visits to Museo de Arte y Memoria and La Comision Provincial por la Memoria: Getting out of Buenos Aires for a little while, we made a day-trip down to La Plata to visit the Museum of Art and Memory, followed by the Provincial Commission for Memory. The two stops reflected two complementary ways that we have for processing and remembering traumatic events - and both speak to the critical role played by memory in national reconciliation... [Read More] Baldosa dedication to Antonio Sosa: Organized by the neighborhood association, Vecinos de San Cristobal contra la Impunidad, this ceremony honored a desaparecido, Antonio Sosa, with a commemorative plaque ("baldosa") in the sidewalk outside of the building where he lived. The baldosas have been a major point of focus for the Vecinos, and a stroll around Buenos Aires is increasingly likely to lead the walker past one of these colorful memorials. We were fortunate enough to be invited to the ceremony... [Read More] Guided visit to Virrey Cevallos CCDTyE: First opened to the public last December (2008), this former detention and torture center is on a quiet, residential block of Virrey Cevallos in Buenos Aires, adjoined on three sides by other domestic residences. Nearly sold to a private buyer, it was reclaimed by the neighborhood, which now works for its preservation and documentation. Our visit was guided by Leonardo Surraco, who told us what they've learned about this little-known center... [Read More] Guided visit to ESMA: Sometimes referred to as the "Auschwitz of Argentina," ESMA is the most notorious of Argentina's many clandestine centers of detention, torture, and execution. More than a detention center, it was a sprawling, naval complex on the city's northern end, where many officers worked and trained - and, of course, dealt with so-called subversives... [Read More] Meeting with Agustin Centrangolo of HIJOS: Originally founded by the children of Argentina's disappeared, HIJOS today includes many young Argentines, committed to the continued pursuit of truth and justice for their country and their relatives. We met Agustin in the Argentine Congressional building, where he is an aide to Congresswoman Victoria Donda. Our last interview in South America, the conversation ran in a number of different directions... [Read More] June 2, 2009: Depart Buenos Aires / Return Home. More on the Legacy Project's 2010 program in Chile and Argentina: Application: Click here to apply for the Legacy Project's 2010 program in Chile and Argentina! Itinerary: A rough overview of the trip as planned (regularly updated). FAQ: Answers to the most common questions we hear about our student trips. Trip Cost: A breakdown of the 2010 program costs in Chile and Argentina Argentine Detention Centers: An overview of the major ex-Clandestine Centers of Detention, Torture, and Execution in Buenos Aires with advice on visiting them Annotated Bibliography: The most useful books we have read in preparation for the program Other Resources: Assorted links to helpful sites
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