Western Santiago

With memories of the out-of-this-world dinner I had the night before still on my tastebuds, I set out on Day 3.  But I knew that I’d spend much of Day 3’s sightseeing learning about Chile’s recent dark past.

Quinta Normal Park

Located west of central Santiago, Quinta Normal Park (Parque Quinta Normal) is home to a number of cultural institutions.  It was founded in 1841, and it was inspired by the Bois du Boulogne in Paris.

Museum of Memory and Human Rights

Directly opposite Quinta Normal Park to the east, the Museum of Memory and Human Rights (Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos in Spanish, and commonly referred to as the Museo de la Memoria) documents the horrors of military dictatorship led by Augusto Pinochet from 1973 to 1990.  As you can imagine, visiting the museum is a somber experience.  To be honest, I was shaking as I was thinking of parallels to today, when right-wing leaders are getting and holding onto power in what are supposed to be democratic countries.  Consider that my South American trip took place shortly after the reelection of Donald Trump.

The choices of Sí and No refer to the 1988 presidential referendum that would determine whether Pinochet should remain in power for another 8 years.  A vote of No meant Pinochet should leave the presidency, and it meant that you didn’t forget María Edith Vásquez or the countless other victims.  In the final tally, 56% of the votes went for No.  In accordance with the constitution, Pinochet peacefully stepped down in 1990.  16 1/2 years of terror were over for Chile.

Carmen and Rodrigo were at a protest during a national strike in 1986. Soldiers doused them with gasoline and lit them on fire. The soldiers disposed of their bodies and left them for dead. Their bodies were found and and taken for treatment. Rodrigo soon died from his burns. Carmen survived with burns over more than 60% of her body. The incident caused an international uproar.  The perpreators were finally convicted in 2019, more than 30 years later.

I am very grateful that the dictatorship is in Chile’s past.  And I hope that the rightward trend of many governments around the world will reverse.

Barrio Yungay

East of Quinta Normal Park lies Barrio Yungay.  It’s known for its street art.  I had read it could be a dangerous neighborhood.  Once again, I felt totally safe.

Avenida Libertador General Bernardo O’Higgins and Confitería Torres

I took a short metro ride to get to my final sightseeing stop of the day, which was also my sweetest stop:  Confitería Torres.  When I got out of the metro at Los Héroes station, I got a view of 3 important sights along Avenida Libertador General Bernardo O’Higgins, as seen above.  The Torre Entel is a telecommunications tower.  The Monument to the Heroes of the Battle of La Concepción honors the detachment of 77 Chileans that was wiped out my overwhelming Peruvian forces in a 1882 battle in a town in the Peruvian Andes.  To the right is the large flag I saw south of La Moneda at the end of Day 1.

Avenida Libertador General Bernardo O’Higgins is named for an Irish-sounding guy who led Chile in its independence from Spain.  A Chilean George Washington, if you will.  George O’Washington?

I finally reached my destination on the avenida:  Confitería Torres.  It definitely hit the sweet spot.  Founded in 1879, Confitería Torres is the oldest restaurant in Chile.  Due to language issues, it took a while to get my correct order.  Then I had to rush to pick up my bags at the B&B.  It was time to move on to my next Chilean city.

[Factual information is primarily gathered from Wikipedia, so you know it must be true.]