Stitching Truth Study Guide

8/14/2019 Stitching Truth Study Guide

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Stitching TruthwnS pTST T

n pnchTS chl

The Making History Series

Series ditors

Adam Strom and the Facing History and Ourselves Staf

primary writer

Dan Eshet

With an Introduction by Marjorie AgosnLuella La Mer Slaner Proessor o Latin American Studies at

Wellesley College


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Series Editors

Adam Strom & the Facg Htory ad Ourelve Sta

Primary Writer

Da Ehet

Wth a troducto y Marjore AgoLuella La Mer Slaer Proeor o

Lat Amerca Stude at Welleley College

Stitching Truth

WEnS PES

n PnchES chlE

The Making History Series


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Creditsand Permissions

Grateul ackowledgmet made or permo to reprt the ollowg:

Cover art ued wth permo o Marjore Ago.

Marjore Ago, Te Arpllerta, Scraps o Lie: Chilean Arpilleras, Chilean Women andthe Pinochet Dictatorship, tra. Cola Fraze (oroto: Wllam-Wallace Pulher,1), . Reprted wth permo o Marjore Ago.

Dor Meco Lorca, Queto ad Voleta Morale tetmoy quoted MarjoreAgo, apestries o Hope, Treads o Love: Te Arpillera Movement in Chile (Laham:Rowma & Lttleeld Pulher, Ic., orthcomg). Reprted wth permo o Rowma& Lttleeld Pulher, Ic.

Vctor Jara, Etado Chle, quoted Joa Jara,An Unnished Song: Te Lie o Victor Jara(New York: ckor & Feld, 13), 551. Extract romAn Unnished Song: Te Lie oVictor Jara y Joa Jara reproduced wth permo o Shel Lad Aocate Ltd.

Marjore Ago, A Aece o Shadow quoted Marjore Ago,At the Treshold oMemory, ed. ad tra. Celete Kotopulo-Cooperma (Bualo: Whte Pe Pre, 1),3. Spah vero reprted wth permo o Marjore Ago. Eglh tralatoreprted wth permo o Whte Pe Pre.

Mchelle Bachelet, Chle Predet Elect, Ole Newhour, Jauary 5, 6, www.p.org/ewhour//lat_amerca/ja-jue6/chle_1-5.html. Reprted wth permo o

MacNel Lehrer Producto.


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T p

Te arpillerista,

artisan o remains

burns with rage and coldas she tenderly

picks through the remnants o her dead,

salvages the shroud o her husband

the trousers let ater the absences

submerges hersel in cloth o oaming, silent blood

and though she is ragile she grows large,

sovereign over her adobe hut,

her ragged scraps

and determined to tell her story

truer than the tale woven by her sister Philomena.

Disruptive and beautiul she

puts together her fayed remnants

like a greenish orgotten skin

and with her disguised thimble

hidden in the pocket o her modest apron

and her harmless needle

she conjures up victorious armies

embroiders humble people smiling, become triumphant

brings the dead back to lie

abricates water, bell towers, schools, dining rooms

giant suns

and the Cordillera o the Andes

peaks opening like portals

o this splendid city.

j g

Scraps o Lie: Chilean Arpilleras


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Contents

. Fw b S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

Drector o Reearch ad Developmet, Facg Htory ad Ourelve

. u b j g . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix

Luella La Mer Slaer Proeor o Lat Amerca Stude at Welleley College

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii

V. w . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

V. Readg 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

T E f D

Du: Queto, a Poem y Dor Meco Lorca

V. Readg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

T Y Bf Dp

Du: Etado Chle, Vctor Jara Lat Poem, Septemer 13

V. Readg 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

T Dp Dpp

Du: Chlea Executo, Departmet o State Breg Memoradum,

Novemer 3, 13

V. Readg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22kg S g P: T c cu Dpp

Du lk: Chle Uder the Gu, a Excerpt romMy Invented Country

y Iael Allede

X. Readg 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Fg V S

Du: A Aece o Shadow, a Poem y Marjore Ago

X. Readg 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

TArpilleristas: T cug Du: Voleta Morale Search or Her Brother

X. Readg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

T c Sugg f u Ju

Du: Reuldg Chle: A Itervew wth Mchelle Bachelet

Lesson plans that accompany this publication are available atwww.facinghistory.org.


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I stitching truth

Foreword

Adam Strom

D f R Dp, F Hy O

Stitching ruth: Womens Protest Art inPinochets Chile oe o the rt cae

tude Facg Htory ad Ourelve

Makg Htory Sere. Lke all o our

materal, t emedded what we call

the cope ad equece o our program.

Our reource ad emar eg wth

a examato o dvdual ad group

dette ad move to a tudy o htorcal

example o racm, atemtm, ad

tolerace eore corotg quetoo judgmet ad repolty, memory,

ad cvc partcpato. Tee reource

ad emar help teacher ad tudet

explore htorcal dlemma ad make

coecto to ther ow lve wth the

hope o dg way to tregthe the

oudato o democracy.

Our teacher ad tudet tell u that

they wat to make a potve derece,ad yet may report eelg powerle

ad uale to make a mpact o the

world aroud them. Yet, wthout people

tadg up ad eectg chage, equty

ad jutce rema uchalleged. I

a tervew wth Facg Htory ad

Ourelve Executve Drector Margot Ster

Strom, jouralt Bll Moyer expla that

the health o a democracy deped o a

actve ctzery:

Te prolem o democracy the prolem

o the dvdual ctze who take hmel

or herel lghtly htorcally. . . . By that I

mea you do ot eleve that you ca

make a derece, youre ot gog to try tomake a derece, youre ot gog to try to

matter, ad you wll leave t to omeoe ele

who may or may ot do what the et

teret o your value or o democracy

value.1

For may people the challege ot

oly aout watg to make a derece, t

alo aout dg a way to get volved.

Raquel F., a tudet a Facg Htory

ad Ourelve cla at Iteratoal HghSchool Quee, New York, decred her

dlemma:

My ather ha ee Rwada everal

tme ce the geocde helpg people to

reuld. Im ot ure that I am ready to take

thoe rk ad ometme I woder how

ad where I ca help. I try to keep md

what jouralt Bll Moyer ad: You cat

do everythg at oe tme, ut you ca do

omethg at oce.

Te queto How ca I make a

derece? wa echoed y a teacher

attedg a Facg Htory ad Ourelve

emar Bogot, Colomaa coutry

trugglg to overcome a log htory o

volece. What choce, he aked, do

people really have whe they lve a tate

o terror? Stitching ruth: Womens Protest

Art in Pinochets Chile oer ght to her

dcult queto y ocug o a group o

1 Bll Moyer,Interview with Margot Strom, VHS, Aprl 1,16 (Brookle: Facg Htory ad Ourelve, 16).

Facg Htory ad Ourelve, 1996 New York BenetDinner, VHS (Brookle: Facg Htory ad Ourelve,16).


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III stitching truth

Htory ad Ourelve pedagogy ad

educatoal goal. Jeer Gray dlgetly

reearched the documet ad mage that

llutrate th work. Ncole Breaux maaged

the pulcato o th project wth Roert

Lavelle. Elaeth Kaer wrote the leo

pla that accompay th cae tudy. I

would alo lke to thak Sam Glert or

h thoughtul uggeto a a copyedtor.

Lat, Book By Deg, Ic., copyedted,

prooread, ad put together the deg

compoet o the al vero o the text.


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introduCtion

Majorie Agosn

L L M S Pf f L A S Wy C,

- p,

Durg the early year o the Chlea

mltary dctatorhp, the cty o Satago

alway eemed dark ad let. A curew

orced the people to retur to ther home

at ght ad rema de utl the

ollowg day. I

rememer the day

too. I rememer

the uy quare

o Satago adhow they ecame

empty, jut lke

t may garde

where chldre oce played ad laughed.

I the empty plaza, all oe could hear wa

the wd rom the Ade ad the oud o

heavy oot patrollg the treet. I ote

dreamt o a ght wthout ear ad wthout

a curew. My cty, oce ope ad lled wth

oe, wa ow tll ad omer.

Te rule o Geeral Auguto Pochet

pluged the coutry to a culture o terror

ad ear. It elt a each pero lved

trapped her or h ow lece, a the

cty were turg to oe perpetual ght

o hadow.

Whle mot o the populato wa

lvg th teral exle, ome Chlea

created a deret ort o le, oe that

wa ot haped y the demad o

Pochet govermet. Secretly, group

o tellectual gathered home to talk

aout ook that had ee aed ad

ceored. Te meetg lated rom the

egg o curew utl t wa lted the

ollowg day. Tere were alo wome

group that ormed lterary workhop to

ret uccumg to ear. Tey reued to

play actve role

a ocety that

puhed t artt,

ag ther ook

ad urg them.Poetry, oce o

vrat ad alve,

wa wrtte

ecret: t had ecome a dagerou actvty.

Yet people wrote o apk, o hoeoxe,

ad poet rected uverve poem

pulc ue. Le wa tll pole the

urreal world o order ad puhmet that

the geeral had created.

Pa Barro, a remarkale wrter

ad a red o me, created a ere

o workhop all aroud Satago,

ecouragg wome to gather ther

houe to talk ad wrte aout the dreadul

tate o the ato. Churche alo provded

ae have or th parallel extece. For

me, thee gatherg provded a powerul

er lght that erved to remd me o

our humaty, o our alty to thk ad

cotet the everyday horror o le a

dctatorhp.

Chlea arpillerasthe apparetly

mple emrodered arc that arrate

It lt as i ac pso livd tappd

i o is ow silc, as i t

city w tui ito o pptual

it o sadows.

Introduction IX


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X stitching truth

the darker, otherwe ceored act o the

Pochet regmeelog to th other le

that exted Chle. I had the chace to

get to kow ome o the wome who made

them. Margalzed y poverty ad exm,

they carred o teacouly wth ther

work durg th dark era. Tey tured

ther orrow to a uque art orm that

recouted, through had-ew mage,

ther lve a mother earch o ther

mg chldre, a cvla demadg

truth ad jutce.

Te arpllera were created a a repoe

to ceorhp, a a way to ght agat the

mputy ejoyed y govermet orce.

Tey ecame a mportat vehcle or

preadg the ew aout Chle tuato.

Tee pece o cloth traveled aroad:

cutom ocal ever upected that thee

humle wall hagg had the power to

traorm thoe who touched them. Te

arpllera made t to mueum aroud

the world, to the caledar o Amety

Iteratoal, to the home o exle, ad tomay other who cared deeply aout Chle.

Te wome who tarted th arpllera

movemet ega ther jourey the

place o earhoptal, morgue, ad

cemetere. Tey told me how they would

recogze oe o ther ow: each carred a

mark o pa. Tey would ak each other

whether they were there or a vahed o

or a huad ad how may chldre had

ee take, whe they had dappeared.

Voleta Morale, oe o the ouder o

the movemet, alway ad that he wa

ale to recogze her ow gre the ace

o other. Ad they recogzed the hoe

wor out rom walkg the treet earch

o ther loved oe.

Ter rt coverato were heavy wth

the laguage o pa, ut the exchage

quckly tured to a laguage o oldarty.Slowly, they ega to thk o way o

utg a collectve project that would

traced ther dvdual plght. Soo

they gaed the upport o the Vcarate o

Soldarty, a rach o the Catholc Church.

T orgazato, uder the drecto o

Cardal Slva Herquez, a oted huma

rght actvt, wa created to protect the

coutry vctm.

Te arpllera are made wth pla crap

o cloth; they are made wth the arc o

carcty. From margalty, thee eautul

tapetre emerge, decrg through

ther emrodered mage daly le uder

Pochet. May how the aducto o

youg people, torture, artrary deteto,

ear, eve exle. I other word, the

arpllera are a arttc ad htorcal

record o huma rght volato, a recordvrtually uthkale at a tme o uocatg

ceorhp. A a couterpot to the mage

o lo ad aece, ome chrocle the

htory o Chle eore Pochet. Tee are

movg arpllera et agat a ladcape

o hope, where cee o amle harg a

covval meal cotrat wth more edate

mage o amly gatherg hauted y

a empty eat, the eat o the dappeared

loved oe who wll ever come home.

I Lat Amerca mltary dctatorhp

pred terror y detroyg lve, wome

movemet attempted to hoor le, to

celerate le, to preervethrough qult


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ad other dometc cratthe memory o

lve atched away.

I alo recall the arpllera at the ceter o

whch Voleta Morale placed a eormou

dove; or the oe y Vvaa Daz, whchalway cluded a tale wth ower ad

a eat orameted wth a queto mark,

the eat o aece. Te arpllera were

capale o deoucg what wa happeg

Chle ad o revealg the ermot

thought o the wome who emrodered

them. Sttchg a ecret pocket oto a qult,

a emroderer placed t a hadwrtte

meage. Ote

thee ote poke

o a tme whe

torture would ceae

ad jutce would

preval. Oe ca eel the aguh o the

wome who o deperately wat to reach

other wth ther tory. Te meage oth

a call or hope ad a act o wteg.

O may occao, I vted the

workhop where the arpilleristas gathered.A they ttched, they poke. Sometme

they eeded to top ther ewg ecaue

the cloth wa wet wth ther tear. But

mutual upport ad love allowed them to

cotue emroderg the tore o ther

chldre, thoe they had lot, ad ther

coutry. Te art o the arpllera come

the dvdual pa o each o thee wome

wth the collectve pa o all Chlea.

Te arpllerta come rom may

deret walk o le: Pochet volece

wa dcrmate, cruhg the huma

rght o rch ad poor. Stll, whle I have

met proeor ad doctor who joed

th movemet, mot memer are rom

humle ackgroudwaherwome,

hotel worker, ad cookad lve area

where there o water or electrcty.

I eel o moved y the geeroty o ther

prt, the oldarty that they exted to

each other. I aw them eed o th prt a

they ecame more powerul ad exteded

ther acto to pulc actvte, huger

trke, ad tyg themelve to the gate

o Cogre. Tey ecame vle; they

challeged ear earch o jutce ad

aumed a cetral

role Chle

huma rght

movemet. Te

teretg thg

to ote that thee wome lacked ay

poltcal ackgroud; they ecame expert

through the pecc experece o dealg

wth the dappearace o ther relatve.

From that momet o, the arpllerta

ega to lear, evetually oudg aprg ad geerou orm o actvm.

Te art o emrodery ha played a role

graroot movemet eyod Chle

order. It had a very powerul uece

Peru, where wome who had ee vctm

o volece at the had o the Shg

Path alo made arpllera order to tell

ther tore. Ad emrodery played a

mportat role Soweto, where wome

made qult to deouce aparthed.

Everyoe who ow a arpllera, a I do,

remded every day o what happeed

Chle, other Lat Amerca coutre,

Introduction XI

T mssa is bot a call o op

ad a act o witssi.


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XII stitching truth

all o the coutre where mght make

rght. We mut alway rememer we

are to create a uture ree o hatred ad

volece. Te arpllerta have gve u the

texture o memory ad truth.

Now the arpllera are the lght o Chle,

the clear heart o the coutry. Tey are

the legacy o dark tme. Tey are the

memory o a geerato that dappeared.

Nearly two decade ater the ed o the

dctatorhp, wome Satago cotue

to make them, ug the ame applqu

techque; ther theme are ote the ame

a thoe o 3 year ago. May o today

arpllera ay NO to mputy, NO toamety or thoe who ordered ad carred

out the volece o the Pochet era.

Ad ome o ther demad have ee

ackowledged. Whe Pochet ded durg

the ummer o 6, he dd ot receve

the ocal recogto h upporter

wated. A ocalt woma rom the ame

party a Pochet predeceor, the ormerPredet Allede, today the head o

the govermet; her ather wa murdered

uder Pochet. She lead a coutry that

trugglg to kow tel, rethkg t ow

detty, ad darg to dream oce aga.

I eleve that the prt o jutce adorttude created at the rth o the arpllera

movemet almot 3 year ago tll

very much alve today Chle, where a

woma who wa oce tortured ad exled

rule the coutry wth a ee o uty ad

a prooud ele that order to orge a

decet uture Chlea mut rememer

ther grm pat. Te art o the arpllera

oth the pat ad the uture my coutry.

T year I retured to Chle the

all, ad each golde lea remded me

o lve cut hort. I tred to gather all the

leave my had, ad I elt that Chle

wa alo chagg eao, eterg a

tme o dalogue ad reecto, hope

ad recoclato. I elt that I could ally

truly retur to a coutry that ow dare to

dreamad the I realzed that I o loger

eared the ght.


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Timeline XIII

timeline

1952, 1958, Socalt Seate leader Salvador Allede make three aled

1964 attempt or the predecy uder the Frete de Acc Popular

(Popular Acto Frot).

1970 O Novemer 3,Salvador Allede, a leader o the Udad Popular(Popular Uty party), deeat a ormer predet, Jorge Aleadr, to

aume the predecy. Allede mplemet cotroveral ocal ad

ecoomc reorm h Chlea Way to Socalm program.

1971 Chle reetalhe poltcal ad ecoomc te wth Cua ad FdelCatro vt the coutry, ledg vocal upport to Allede predecy.

T act ee y Weter power a a clear move toward commum.

19711972 Iato re precptouly Chle, ad copper, the coutry che

export, loe value o the teratoal market. Te Chlea ecoomydecle rapdly.

1973 Te Chrta Democratthe majorty o the Chlea Cogread

the rght-wg Natoalt Party orm the Coederac Democrtca

(Democratc Coederato) to challege Allede predecy.

O Jue ,Coloel Roerto Souper drect a uucceul coup

agat Allede outde the predetal palace.

O Augut ,the commader--che o the Chlea army, Carlo Prat,

preured to reg ad replaced y Geeral Auguto Pochet.

Te Chamer o Depute pulcly proclam that Allede ocalt

polce have volated the Chlea Cottuto ad led to the

reakdow o Chlea democracy.

O Septemer 11,Pochet lead the Chlea army a volet coup

that ed Allede govermet ad rg the coutry uder a harh

mltary dctatorhp. (Allede make a arewell peech hortly eore

the capture o the palace ad eleved to have commtted ucde.)

O Septemer 13,Pochet dolve Cogre. Te juta (the

mltary orce that had take over the coutry) etalhe a detetocamp or poltcal ddet at the Natoal Stadum.

O Octoer 6,the Comt Pro-Paz (Pro-Peace Commttee), a coalto

o relgou orgazato, orgazed to help people targeted y the

dctatorhp.


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XI stitching truth

timeline

I Novemer, the Drectorate o Natoal Itellgece (DINA) ecretly

created to elmate, otetme through huma rght aue, poltcal

parte that oppoe the juta.

1974 A group o wome earch o dappeared amly memer orgaze

the arpllera workhop.

1975 Followg Pochet threat to aolh the Comt Pro-Paz, Cardal

Slva orm the Vcara de la Soldardad (Vcarate o Soldarty) to ad

afcted amle ad earch or the dappeared.

1976 Led y ewly elected Predet Jmmy Carter, Uted State leglator

pa a law that retrct oreg ad to govermet mplcated huma

rght aue.

1978 Te Chlea Supreme Court uphold a provo or amety or actcommtted y mltary govermet ocal durg the rt three year

o the dctatorhp.

1980 Te mltary govermet eact the Chlea Cottuto o 1

through a plecte.

1988 O Octoer 5,uder provo the cottuto o 1, areeredum held to decde the coutry leaderhp. Chlea dey

Pochet ad vote or a retur to democracy. Te arpllera workhop

uder the Vcara de la Soldardad are dolved.

A ew group o arpllerta etalhe the Fudac Soldardad to

carry o the ocal ad poltcal commetary o the orgal arpllerta.

1989 Predetal electo are held.

1990 O March 11,Pochet tep dow ad Patrco Alwy democratcallyelected predet. Pochet ecome the commader--che o the army.

1991 Te Natoal Commo o ruth ad Recoclato releae the

Rettg Report, whch chrocle ome o the huma rght volato

commtted uder the mltary juta.

1998 Pochet aume a eat the Chlea Seate, a precred thecottuto o 1.


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Timeline X

timeline

1998 O Octoer 16,whle eekg medcal treatmet Lodo, Pochet arreted y Brth polce o a warrat ued y a judge Spa. He

charged wth major huma rght volato ad ped more tha a

year uder houe arret, ut he releaed uder preure o the Chleagovermet.

2000 O March 11, Rcardo Lago, who emerged a a leader durg Chle

democratc recovery o the 1, elected the thrty-thrd predet

o Chle. He ejoy record approval ratg y the tme h predecy

expre 6.

I Augut,the Chlea Supreme Court recd Pochet mmuty.

He proecuted ut later oud ut to tad tral o accout o

demeta.

2004 Sergo Valech lead a vetgatve commo that produce a detaledreport o the huma rght aue o the Pochet regme.

2005 I Novemer,Pochet oud t to tad tral ad charged wth

huma rght

volato.

2006 O March 11,Mchelle Bachelet, whoe ather ded three decade earlerat the had o DINA, wor a Chle rt emale predet.

O Decemer 1, Auguto Pochet de Satago at the age o 1.


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18/70

overview

O Septemer 11, 13, a group o Chlea mltary ocer led y Geeral Auguto

Pochet truck dow Salvador Allede democratcally elected govermet. Sevetee

year o oppreve dctatorhp ollowed. I a lawle tate ruled y ear ad the ceor

pe, ew had the courage to corot the ytem. Amog them were the ter, wve, ad

mother who reued to gve up o thoe whoor poltcal reaohad dappeared

wthout a trace. I the coure o ther prologed earch, the wome oud oe aother.

Mot o them were largely margalzed, mpoverhed wome who were orced to aume

ull repolty or ther amle ad lead them through extraordarly dcult tme.

Tey ormed workhop, taught oe aother practcal kll, ad emarked o a truggle or

truth ad jutce. urg to the olk art o emrodery, they oud ther voce: rllat

arpilleras (tapetre), they told the tore o the dappeared ad o other vctm o the

mltary dctatorhp. Wth the helpg had o the Roma Catholc church, thee tapetre

were muggled out o Chle ad ore wte aroud the world to the plght o the dead adthe mg.

Te ollowg eay explore everal apect o le uder a dctatorhp. Coder key

queto:

Key Questions

1. What could a group o mpoverhed wome do aout the dappearace o therloved oe? What kd o tool dd they ue ther earch or the dappeared,

or a poltcal voce, ad or ocal chage?

2. What a dctatorhp? Who hold the power ad authorty a dctatorhp?What democratc ttuto were detroyed whe Allede regme wa truck

dow?

3. How dd the dctatorhp deprve ordary Chlea o ac rght? How cactze a dctatorhp peak out agat crme commtted y ther govermet?

4. How ca art, poetry, ad torytellg call atteto to ocal jutce ad humarght volato?

Overview


19/70

stitching truth

reading 1

Te End of a Democratic radition

At 11:5 AM o Septemer 11, 13, the

hrek o ghter jet perced the ky oChle captal: Satago wa uder attack.

wo Hawker Huter arplae headed

traght or the predetal mao, La

Moeda, ad let y ther mle. Oce

they had hattered La Moeda wall ad

wdow, tak ad oot older tormed

the uldg. Wth mute they had

oud the ody o the ocalt predet,

Salvador Allede Goe. Te arplae,

the mle, the tak, the older, ad

thoe who commaded them eloged ot

to a vadg power ut to the Chlea

armed orce. Led y Geeral Auguto

Pochet Ugarte, the army had put a ed

to the Popular Uty coalto oe thouad

day ater t took oce. It alo eded 13

year o mperect ut almot uterrupted

democracy.

Durg the week ad moth that

ollowed the coup,* volece pread

wave over the etre coutry. Formerly

commader--che o Allede army,

Pochet drected a erce ad loody war

agat thoe who remaed loyal to the

dead predet. Te mltary juta that

ruled Chle declared a tate

o ege, harhly retrctgcvla rght ad

expadg the authorty

o the mltary over every

apect o le. Oppoto

leader were huted dow

ad thouad o me

ad wome were rouded

up Satago Natoal

Stadum, whch aumed a

ew role a a pro camp.Tere upected oppoet

o the Pochet regme

were terrogated, tortured,

ad klled. Cocetrato

camp were lled wth people upected o

ympathe wth ocalm or the Popular

Uty govermet. Redet o the captal

oo grew accutomed to the oud o

Piocts soldis look ov t psidtial palac o La Moda

dui t militay coup. O Sptmb 11, 1973, Pioct

odd t militay to bomb t palac ad tak it ov.

AP

Pho

to/Enrique

Aracena

* A coup, rom the Frech coup dtat, a wt ad orceuloverthrow o a govermet.

Te wordjunta, rom a Spah word meag oard orcommttee, a group o mltary ocer who rule a tatewthout havg ee elected.


20/70

gure. More tha three thouad people

dappeared wthout a trace durg the

year o the dctatorhp; the vat majorty

o them were executed or tortured to death

wthout a tral. I a matter o day, Chle

ragle democracy had collaped.

Vvaa Daz Caro, whoe ather wa

dappeared, drected the Agrupac de

Famlare de Detedo Deaparecdo

(Aocato o Famle o the Detaed-

Dappeared), whch collected ormato

aout the dappeared ad helped

ther relatve ght or jutce. All the

arpilleristas eloged to th orgazato.1

Caro recall the dappearace o her ather:

Utl Septemer 11, 13, my ather wa the

Uderecretary o the Chlea Commut

Party ad Drector o the Natoal Worker

(Laor) Orgazato. Due to the pot my

ather held, the armed orce ad ecret

ervce aget ega earchg or hm

mmedately ater the coup led y Geeral

Auguto Pochet. . . . [I] May 16,

everythg chaged. Tey oud my ather

a houe the La Code eghorhood. . . .

People who wteed h arret teted he

wa almot ucocou whe they took hm

away. . . .

Te ame day the ateroo we ega

our deperate earch. . . . At that tme,

we ega a ew phae our lve. . . .

[W]e ddt kow where to go to receve

ormato aout the detaed. We ddt

kow where they took people who were

arreted. For my mother ad the ret o

u, t wa total chao. . . . Soo ater hdappearace, we made the roud lke

every other amly that had detaed/

dappeared relatve. We ega wth the

hoptal, jal, deteto ceter, the Legal

ad Medcal Ittute, etc. Te awer were

alway the ame: th pero doet ext, he

wa ever arreted, ad we dot have ay

record o th dvdual.

wo year earler, Voleta Morale, a

poor eamtre ad a leadg voce amog

the relatve o the dappeared, had aced

a mlar ordeal: her rother, Newto

Morale, wa dappeared y Pochet

ecurty orce. A popular workg-cla

leader, he wa orced to hdg ater

retg the coup. For a whle, recall

Voleta Morale, everythg wa e. But

oe morg three me ad a detaed

woma came to my mother houe adthey took Newto away.3 Te terred

amly oo heard that he had ee take

to Lodre 3, a amou terrogato

ceter. Determed to d hm ad

uwllg to let ther ear ad poverty

tad ther way, the Morale amly

kocked o the door o every deteto

ceter they could locate Satago, oly

to e told delerately coug tore

aout Newto whereaout. Depte thepaoate eort o h amly, o g o

Newto Morale ha ever ee oud. He

had ecome oe o the desaparecidos**

the hautg term appled to all thoe

who ever reappeared ater they had ee

Lodre 3 wa oe o at leat a doze torture addeteto aclte ad aroud Satago. Relatvelymall (o more tha detaee were there at a tme), terved a a temporary pro ad terrogato ceter.

** Te term desaparecidos wa rt ued y Guatemala the 16 whe the coutry ecurty orce egaged a mave campag o terror ad aducto. Te term alo cloely aocated wth the thrty thouad peoplewho dappeared durg Argeta drty wara tate-poored terror campag agat poltcal uvervethat lated rom 16 to 13.

Reading


21/70

stitching truth

aducted, terrogated, ad murdered y

the dctatorhp.

Voleta Morale tured to a church-

aed orgazato ouded Satago

y Cardal Ral Slva Herquez. A

oo a he leared jut how rutal the

Pochet regme could e, Slva ega to

put together a vat terath eort to help

poltcal proer ad ther relatve. Te

reult, ocally aouced o Octoer 6,

13, wa the Comt de Cooperac para

la Paz e Chle (Cooperatve Commttee

or Peace Chle), kow a the Comt

Pro-Paz, a group that cluded addto

to CatholcBaptt, Methodt,

Luthera, ad Jew.

Relgou leader took a tad ad

ega to documet cvl rght volato,

epecally dappearace. Whe Pochet

orced the Comt Pro-Paz to cloe t

door, Slva created the Vcara de la

Soldardad del Arzopado de Satago

(Vcarate o Soldarty o the Archhop

o Satago) to carry o h humatara

eort. A Voleta Morale, Vvaa Daz

Caro, ad may other wome who reued

to e tmdated joed the group, t

ecame clear that they were earchg ot

jut or ther loved oe ut alo or a voce.

Apilla 1: Catd by Violta Moals. T

aclss fus xt to t wom pst

t missi victims wo dad to oppos

Piocts dictatosip.

Use

dbyperm

iss

iono

fMarjorie

Agos

n.


22/70

QueSTIOn,A POeM by DOrIS MenICOnI LOrCA

Doris Meniconi Lorca wrote many poems or her son, Isidro Miguel AngelPizarro, who was taken in November 1974 by the Chilean secret police. From

a poor background, Isidro turned to social activism at an early age, educating

and supporting peasants in their political struggle. Such work belonged to the

ambitious reorms set out during Allendes presidency, when vast tracts o land

were seized or purchased rom the wealthy and reassigned to poor peasants.

Isidros political activism and involvement in this program earned him enemies

among conservatives, the landowners he helped deprive o their property, and

the dictatorship. The poem Question describes Doris Meniconi Lorcas torment

ater his disappearance.

Where is the son that I love so much?

Where is the warmth o his white hands?

When I call only silence responds.

Iron chains have let him prisoner,

and i you search blindly or your star in the night

you will only nd shadows, sadness and reproaches.

What guard guards the bars o the dark cell that hides you?

They have let me a wound that is uncertainty

and I shout your name that the wind carries away,

my throat is raw rom calling you.

But in your absence there is no

orgetting.

Yes, I lost the laugh that ripped the autumn.

Summers wander in my sea o bitterness,

winter goes with me with its sadness

and I let the impalpable rain kiss my orehead

asking God or the hand that wounds me with nostalgia

and I go on living rom sips o the pain o knowing you are absent.

Invisible is the dagger piercing my soul

and my ace carries wounds caused by weeping

the slow step o the years, and the grie beneath the song.4

Reading


23/70

stitching truth

COnneCTIOnS

1. Pochet ad h upporter overthrew Allede govermet y orcea actdecred a a coup. What democratc ttuto were detroyed y the coup?

What happe to a democracy whe people are ot ree to aocate, to peak out,or to how det? Ca you gve example?

2. What could thee mpoverhed wome do agat a mltary regme thatcotrolled all acce to power?

3. Pochet ued torture, kdappg, ad kllg to terrorze h people. What wathe purpoe o th trategy?

4. Whe hould relgou orgazato deed the vocele ad ret oppreo?How hould they do o? How do you thk Cardal Slva would repod to th

queto?

5. Touad o people dappeared wthout a trace Chle. Tey were called thedesaparecidos. Lorca poem decre the tormet o a mother whoe o had

dappeared. How eg disappearedderet rom eg arreted or detaed?

6. Dor Meco Lorca poem called Queto. What queto or quetodoe he rae? o whom are they addreed? Where ca he d awer? What

ght doe her poem oer aout le or the amle o the dappeared?

1 Marjore Ago, Scraps o Lie: Chilean Arpilleras, Chilean Women and the Pinochet Dictatorship, tra. Cola

Fraze (oroto: Wllam-Wallace Pulher, 1), .

Marjore Ago, apestries o Hope, Treads o Love: Te Arpillera Movement in Chile (Laham: Rowma &

Lttleeld Pulher, Ic., orthcomg).

3 Id.

Id.


24/70

Ater early three hudred year o coloal

rule, Chle wo t depedece romSpa 11. Roughly rom that tme

utl 13, whe the coup truck dow

Salvador Allede Goe, the coutry

wa ruled, wth ew excepto, y cvla

govermet. A moder cottuto wa

approved 15, provdg a clear a

law or democracy. Whle ecoomc

ad ocal teo ote roled uder

the urace, the varou group remaed

commtted to majorty rulecla ad

poltcal derece ever reulted a all-

out cvl war.

I 1 the predetal cumet,

Eduardo Fre Motalva, who had held oce

or x year, lot the upport o the mddle

cla a he aled to cope wth demad

or ocal reorm. T opeed the door

to Allede Popular Uty coalto

(kow a UP, the arevato or UdadPopular). Ater a tght race, Allede,

a avowed ocalt, prevaled. Whle

Allede remaed commtted to a peaceul

trato to ocalm, he alo ought to

deepe democracy Chle (tradtoally,

th predetal democracy wa heavly

cotrolled y the ue ad agrcultural

elte). He eleved that the duty o

democratc ocete wa to eure the well-

eg o all ctze ad that the poor mut

take a actve role. I a peech delvered

to a rally Satago the prg o 1,

Allede declared that uder ocalt

leaderhp Chlea ally expereced

. . . a mot authetc poltcal democracy,

a pluralt democracy, govermet ad

oppoto. . . . oday the people have uted

to deed th authetc reedom, ecaue

we have rearmed, expaded ad deepeed

the dvdual, poltcal, collectve ad

ocal reedom. Let th e heard ad ot

orgotte: th coutry there ot oe

poltcal proer . . . ot oe jouralt jaled

or h dea. . . . I th coutry there a

total reedom o the pre ad ormato

ad we have the utmot tolerace ad

repect or all creed.

Tee lerte are greater tha ever

the htory o Chle. . . . But thee lerte,

though udametal, are ot ucet.We alo wat ecoomc reedom or Chle

ad each Chlea. . . . Chlea wll e

truly ree whe we are rd o gorace,

uemploymet, explotato, huger ad

moral ad phyologcal mery.1

reading 2

Te Years Before the Dictatorship

Apilla 2: Catd by Violta Moals

to commmoat Salvado Alld, wo

istitutd a-aci policis i suppot o

Cils poo.

Reading


25/70

stitching truth

Depte the ceat hotlty o

oppoto ewpaper, Allede aw to t

that ther reedom o peech wa ever

threateed durg h tme oce. He

alo coroted large dparte come

ecaue, he argued, poverty udermed

ac democratc value ad hted

creatvty.3 I a peech gve o the rt

averary o h augurato, Allede

reected o h party democratc vo:Tat why we have ee gag power; we

have ee corporatg deprved group

ad ector. We have ee cocered wth

tregtheg democracy ad expadg

lerte through the redtruto o come

ad ecoomc lerato.

T govermet wat a authetc

democracy ad complete reedom or all

Chlea. Democracy ad reedom are

compatle wth uemploymet ad lack

o houg, the lack o culture, llteracy ad

cke. How democracy tregtheed?

By creatg more jo, gvg etter wage,

uldg more home, provdg the people

wth more culture, educato ad etter

health.

o addre thee ue, Allede drew

up amtou pla. Tee cluded

atoalzg me ad dutre,

doatg exproprated* lad to poor

agrara laorer, madatg low prce or

ood taple, ad creag the mmum

wage. Other meaure were take to eure

etter houg ad educato or the poor.

Studet, mddle-cla proeoal,

actory worker, ad peaat had cometogether upport o a caddate who had

or may year ee deemed uelectale.

May eleved they had wteed the

rth o a ew orm o Chlea poltc.

For poor wome uch a Voleta Morale

ad Vvaa Daz Caro, Allede came

to repreet the polty o utaed

employmet, decet houg, ad pulc

* Expropriation the act o ezg prvately owedproperty ad gvg t to other. ypcally th meatakg lad rom the rch ad gvg t to the poor. Teproce ote orceul, though the orgal ower maye pad or ther lot property. Durg h rule, Alledeattempted to exproprate lad held or geeratoy the agrara elte (though the proce wa evercompleted); he alo ezed part o Chle rch me,whch largely eeted oreg compae.

Suppots

o Allds

socialist idas

o dmocacy,

wic ivolvd

a distibutioo walt ad

sud libtis

suc as dom o

t pss, li t

stt.

Libraryo

fCongress,

Prin

tsan

dPho

tograp

hsD

ivision,

LC-U

SZ62-1

34154

.


26/70

healthcare ervce or chldre ad adult.

Oe Chlea wrote, People eleved that

parade wa aroud the corer. Tere wa

a exploo o pao, a druke ge

o dea.5 Aroud the world, progreve

group watched wth exctemet a

Allede via Chilenaa peaceul ad

democratc revolutouolded.

Depte hgh expectato ad plety

o revolutoary rhetorc, the mood o

the coutry oo oured ad preure

rom oth let ad rght threateed the

ew program. Allede upporter

demaded that he accelerate the pace o

ocal reorm, whle thee ame plaprovoked protet rom coervatve,

cludg g ladower, large ad

mall ue ower, ad the mltary.

Depte prome o peaceul reorm,

may eared a Sovet-tyle commum,

wth a tyracal govermet tramplg

o huma rght ad prvate property. Te

oppoto ewpaper ad rado tato

pread rumor o armed revoluto, callg

o voluteer to arm themelve ad

patrol wealthy eghorhood. Addg to

th growg ee o cr were empty

grocery tore helve, volet trke, ad

kyrocketg prce. By the mddle o 13

the atoal ecoomy wa hamle.

Mred Cold War poltc, the

admtrato o Uted State Predet

Rchard Nxo axouly ollowed the

evet uoldg Satago. Amerca

poltca eared that a ocalt

govermet would tp the alace o power

Lat Amerca, gvg the Sovet Uo a

clear advatagethey decded the tme had

come to uderme Allede predecy.6

I 15 the Uted State Seate appoted

a commttee to vetgate the Uted

State volvemet Chle. Although

t oud o evdece that the CIA wa

drectly volved the coup that overthrew

Allede, the commttee cocluded

that the Uted State poored at-

Allede propagada, acked h poltcal

rval, promoted plot to overthrow thegovermet, ad upeded almot all

oreg ad to the trugglg regme.

I repoe to moutg chao, Chlea

rght-wg orgazato, whch played a

major role the detructo o the cvl

order, demaded that the army tervee

to retore order. Suura rght-wg

wome who oppoed Allede orgazed

the dramatc March o the Empty Pot,

paradg through Satago whle agg

ther empty cookg pot to protet ood

hortage. Tee wome, later amog

Pochet mot outpoke champo,

tauted the older et to polce the

march, threw cor at them whle callg

them chcke, ad prodded them to

take over the govermet. I pte o

electo held March 13 that howed

umtakale upport or Alledeprogram, hgh-rakg mltary ocer

decded that Chle wa rpe or a mltary

takeover. O Septemer 11, 13, they

acted.

Durg Allede predecy, mpatet laorer tookmatter to ther ow had ad ezed agraraproperty. I tow, worker orgazed ad took overeveral actore. For more ormato aout actorytakeover ad the teo etwee Allede ad h let-wg upporter, ee Peter W, Weavers o Revolution:Te Yarur Workers and Chiles Road to Socialism (NewYork: Oxord Uverty Pre, 16).

Reading


27/70

0 stitching truth

eSTADIO ChILe, VICTOr JArAS LAST POeM,SePTeMber 1973

Victor Jara was born in a small, rural town outside Santiago. His amily waspoor and belonged to the many that ought or Allendes election in the hope

or vast economic reorms. Jara, who became one o Chiles most beloved olk

artists, devoted his music to industrial workers, peasants, and the poor residents

o Chiles shantytowns (many o the arpilleristas came rom these overcrowded

neighborhoods). His lyrics carried a message o hope to ordinary Chileans and

attempted to capture their daily hardships and political aspirations. When Allende

was elected, Jara became a devoted supporter o the new regime. Shortly ater

the coup, Jara was arrested and was taken to the Stadium o Chile (hence the

name o the ollowing song), where he was tortured and killed. Prisoners at

the stadium reported that Jara scribbled this last poem on a piece o paper just

beore his death and that a riend smuggled it out. The poem, which was later

translated into English by Joan Jara, Victors wie, describes and comments on

the conditions in the stadium in the days ollowing the coup. The stadium is now

called Estadio Victor Jara.

There are ve thousand o us here

in this small part o the city.

We are ve thousand.

I wonder how many we are in all

in the cities and in the whole country?

Here alone

are ten thousand hands which plant seeds

and make the actories run.

How much humanityexposed to hunger, cold, panic, pain,

moral pressure, terror and insanity?

Six o us were lost

as i into starry space.

One dead, another beaten as I could never have believed

a human being could be beaten.

The other our wanted to end their terror

one jumping into nothingness,

another beating his head against a wall,

but all with the xed stare o death.

What horror the ace o ascism creates!

They carry out their plans with knie-like precision.Nothing matters to them.

To them, blood equals medals,

slaughter is an act o heroism.

Oh God, is this the world that you created,


28/70

or this your seven days o wonder and work?

Within these our walls only a number exists

which does not progress,

which slowly will wish more and more or death.

But suddenly my conscience awakesand I see that this tide has no heartbeat,

only the pulse o machines

and the military showing their midwives aces

ull o sweetness.

Let Mexico, Cuba and the world

cry out against this atrocity!

We are ten thousand hands

which can produce nothing.

How many o us in the whole country?

The blood o our president, our compaero,

will strike with more strength than bombs and machine guns!

So will our st strike again!

How hard it is to sing

when I must sing o horror.

Horror which I am living,

horror which I am dying.

To see mysel among so much

and so many moments o innity

in which silence and screams

are the end o my song.

What I see, I have never seen

What I have elt and what I eel

Will give birth to the moment . . . .9

Reading


29/70

stitching truth

COnneCTIOnS

1. What dd Allede party tad or? How mportat reedom o peech ordemocracy? How mportat reedom rom perecuto ad ear?

2. How dd Allede eek to deepe democracy Chle? What ecoomc codtodd he coder eceary or a jut ad vrat democracy? Why dd h pla al?

How could they have ucceeded?

3. Why dd Chle coervatve elte oppoe Allede pla or Chle? What dd theyear?

4. Uder preure rom the poltcal rght ad let, Allede regme collaped tochao ad volece. What are the legtmate way to expre dagreemet ad

det a democratc regme?

5. Vctor Jara poem eg wth takg cout o the people mproed thetadum ater the coup:

Tere are ve thouad o u here

th mall part o the cty.We are ve thouad.

I woder how may we are all

the cte ad the whole coutry?

Who the we that Jara decrg?

6. What word ad phrae doe Jara ue to decre the aue o the dctatorhp?What doe he ugget wa lot?

7. Jara ue the wordascism to decre the dctatorhp. What doe the term mea?What other regme were called act?

1 Salvador Allede, Here Are Aemled the People o Chle (1), quoted Salvador Allende Reader: ChilesVoice o Democracy, ed. Jame D. Cockrot, tra. Mo Epoza ad Nacy Nuez (New York: Ocea Pre,), 15. La Baldez, Why Women Protest : Womens Movements in Chile (Camrdge: Camrdge Uverty Pre,), 13.3 Allede, Here Are Aemled the People o Chle, Salvador Allende Reader, 15. Salvador Allede, Frt Averary o the Popular Govermet (Novemer , 11), Salvador Allende

Reader, 11.5 Pamela Cotale ad Arturo Valezuela,A Nation o Enemies: Chile Under Pinochet(New York: Norto,11), 5.6 Peter Korluh, Te Pinochet File: A Declassied Dossier on Atrocity and Accountability (New York: NewPre, 3), 15. T ook documet the Uted State volvemet Chle poltc durg the regmeo Allede ad Pochet.

Te commttee wa headed y Seator Frak Church (a Democratc eator rom Idaho). See ChurchReport: Covert Acto Chle 16313, Uted State Departmet o State wete, http://oa.tate.gov/Report/ChurchReport.ap#A.%Overvew:%Cover%Acto%%Chle (acceed Feruary 13, ). Baldez, Why Women Protest, 1. Te oppoto clamed the march howed that Allede regme had lott legtmacy (partcularly amog wome). Allede upporter clamed that the march had ee orgazedy rght-wg extremt ad ted that the rch wome who joed the march had ever kow a momethuger ad certaly had ever cooked the pot they claged. Vctor Jara, Etado Chle, quoted Joa Jara,An Unnished Song: Te Lie o Victor Jara (New York:ckor & Feld, 1), 551.


30/70


31/70

stitching truth

Velaco, wa expelled rom the coutry a

moth later. Jutce dappeared whe the

dctatorhp took cotrol, ecaue ot oly

wa crme puhed, dea were too.

Te ew regme cloely oerved lett

orgazato ad arreted may o ther

memer. Whe a ew memer o the

Movmeto de Izquerda Revolucoara

(Movemet o the Revolutoary Let,

kow a the MIR) took arm a

mproved act o retace to the

dctatorhp, everyody upected o

coecto wth the orgazato wa

huted dow. Devorah Gotthel* wa

a youg tudet ad a actvt whethe mltary juta truck dow Allede

govermet. She wa alo a memer o the

MIR ad amog the rt to e dappeared

ad cruelly tortured y the juta ecret

ervce. Gotthel argued that the dealt

memer o th orgazato ojected

to what they called the mperalt

tererece o the Sovet Uo ad

the Uted State South Amerca. I

addto, memer o the orgazato

worked or year to mprove the lot o

Chle laorg poor. It wa, he recalled,

a very tellectual ad theoretcal

[orgazato], whch memer hared a

romatc dream o partcpatg armed

truggle ut [they] had o real armed

trag, o arm, ad o ratructure to

upport th practce.3

I 1, whe Allede campaged orthe predetal electo, the MIR gave

up t mltat, revolutoary aprato

ad joed h coalto. Ater the coup,

the orgazato ethuatc upport

o Allede reorm made t a prme

target or the juta ad mot o the MIR

actvt were mproed, aaated,

or dappeared. Te group that carred

out the ytematc perecuto o MIR

actvt wa the Drecc de Itelgeca

Nacoal (Natoal Itellgece Drectorate,

called the DINA), Pochet ecret polce.

Created hortly ater the coup ad led

y a otorou geeral amed Mauel

Cotrera, the orgazato carred out

t madate to collect tellgece aout

uverve y aductg, torturg, ad

murderg thouad o me ad wome.Voleta Morale, whoe rother Newto

wa ought ecaue o h aocato wth

MIR, decre the ecret polce method:

Te rt tme they came lookg or my

rother, my mother wa aloe. Te me

aked or Newto ad told her they

were red rom work. Tey retured

that eveg at :. Noody wa home

yet. . . . Te me paed themelve o a

co-worker ad my mother eleved them.Whe Newto came home the me took

hm y the arm ad he called out to my

mother, who wa the ktche, Mother,

the DINA takg me away. My mother

ddt udertad what wa happeg at the

tme ecaue he had ever ee poltcal.

Te me tred to [calm] her ecaue he wa

grapg my rother. Oe o the aget took

*A peudoym ued to protect th wte detty.

Pochet hrewdly tured MIR mltat reputatoagat the group. He aouced to the meda that

commut, Cua, ad MIR had draw up a plothe called Pla Z, whch the mltary juta wa ale toavert oly y tagg t ow coup o Septemer 11. Weow kow that Pla Z wa a cto jotly created yChlea mltary tellgece ad the CIA. O the CIAvolvemet, ee Hchey Report (), Uted StateDepartmet o State wete, http://oa.tate.gov/Report/HcheyReport.ap#toc (acceed Feruary 13,).


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stitching truth

promptg a deep ee o tlle ad

deolato. Te plaza were empty, he

cotued,

the courtyard wthout the laughter o

chldre. Fear wa the ar; you could eelthe ght ad the polce car patrollg the

cte that o loger eloged to the people.

. . . Chlea ocety lowly ega to k to

ear ad lece. Every coverato wth a

trager wa potetally upcou, ad

oe deouced the rulg govermet, t

could have ee atal. Every ca drver wa

poly a py or the eared ecret polce.

Te cty eemed aadoed, trpped o the

oe ad geture o le. . . .

I rememer the mot mpreve, yet

paul, apect o the early year o the

mltary dctatorhp wa a ee o vod, a

tll ad deeated lece that expuged rom

u the polty o le ad laughter.

Neghor tured agat each other;

amle ell apart. Idle gop wth a

eghor could lead to etrayal, arret, eve

death. We gradually ecame a ato o

trager, Ago recall.1


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ChILeAn exeCuTIOnS, DePArTMenT Of STATebrIefIng MeMOrAnDuM, nOVeMber 23, 1973

A ew weeks ater the coup, the CIA station in Santiago sent a secretmemorandum to the American secretary o state, Henry Kissinger. Based on

inormation obtained directly rom the junta, the memorandum provided the

earliest reliable data about the number o people arrested and executed during

the frst weeks o the dictatorship.

The memorandum ocused on summary executions (the killing o citizens

without a trial) and executions that resulted rom court martial sentences

(sentences handed down by military courts). It suggested that the military junta

was waging an all-out war against those who opposed it and that thousands

o Allendes supporters had been rounded up and interrogated in the National

Stadium; hundreds were known to have been killed. The junta, according to

the report, claimed that a state o siege and martial law justifed on-the-spot

execution in cases o suspected treason, armed resistance, illegal possession o

arms, and even auto thet.

The regime attempted to give its action an air o legitimacy by reigning in and

organizing its intelligence services. It also postponed the military trials o letist

politicians. These actions, however, did not stop the abduction and shooting o

civilians.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE BRIEFING MEMORANDUM

SeCreTnODIS

TO: The Secretary [o State, Henry Kissinger]

FROM: ARA Jack B. Kubisch

Cila excutios

You requested by cable rom Tokyo a report on this subject.

On October 24 the Junta announced that summary, on-the-spot executions

would no longer be carried out and that persons caught in the act o resisting

the government would henceorth be held or military courts. Since that date 17

executions ollowing military trials have been announced. Publicly acknowledged

executions, both summary and in compliance with court martial sentences, now

total approximately 100, with an additional 40 prisoners shot while trying to

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stitching truth

escape. An internal, condential report prepared or the Junta puts the number

o executions or the period September 1130 at 320. The latter gure is probably

a more accurate indication o the extent o this practice.

Our best estimate is that the military and police units in the eld are generally

complying with the order to desist rom summary executions. At least the rather

requent use o random violence that marked the operations o these units in the

early post-coup days has clearly abated or the time being. However, there are no

indications as yet o a disposition to orego executions ater military trial.

The Chilean leaders justiy these executions as entirely legal in the application

o martial law under what they have declared to be a state o siege in time o

war. Their code o military justice permits death by ring squad or a range o

oenses, including treason, armed resistance, illegal possession o arms, and

auto thet. Sentences handed down by military tribunals during a state o siege

are not reviewable by civilian courts.The purpose o the executions is in part to discourage by example those who

seek to organize armed opposition to the Junta. The Chilean military, persuaded

to some degree by years o Communist Party propaganda, expected to be

conronted by heavy resistance when they overthrew Allende. Fear o civil

war was an important actor in their decision to employ a heavy hand rom the

outset. Also present is a puritanical, crusading spirita determination to cleanse

and rejuvenate Chile. (A number o those executed seem to have been petty

criminals.)

The Junta now has more condence in the security situation and more

awareness o the pressure o international opinion. It may be a hopeul sign that

the Junta continues to stall on bringing to trial ormer cabinet ministers and other

prominent Marxistspeople the military initially had every intention o standing

up beore ring squads. How the military leaders proceed in this area rom now

on will be infuenced to some degree by outside opinion, and particularly by ours,

but the major consideration will continue to be their assessment o the security

situation.

SeCreT

Situation Report: Chile

The country is calm at the moment and there is little overt challenge to themilitarys rm control. Seven letists reportedly died in an attack earlier this week

on a military post in a Southern city. This, however, was the rst such letist


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initiative since mid-September. The general impression is that the Marxist let has

given rst priority to underground survival in the ace o unrelenting pressure.

The Junta has announced that state-o-siege measures will remain in orce

or at least another eight months, but they have relaxed the curew somewhat,

revoked on-the-spot executions, placed some restrictions on searches, and

promised that persons charged with civil oenses committed beore the coup

will be prosecuted under standard civil procedures. Although the traditional

parties are well represented on the commission charged with drating a new

constitution, there is growing apprehension among them that the Juntas anti-

political orientation will close o normal political activity or a long time to

come. Again ruling out any timetable or turning Chile back to the civilians, Junta

President Pinochet reinorced these ears by placing much o the blame or the

countrys present state on politicians in general.11

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COnneCTIOnS

1. Te memoradum record the acto take y the dctatorhp agat Chleacvla. What cvl rght dd the Pochet regme volate? What ttuto

crumled? What democratc prcple do dctator volate? I term o dvdualrght ad pulc ttuto, what are the ma derece etwee democratc

ad dctatoral regme?

2. Te author o the CIA report clamed that the Juta ow ha more . . . awareeo the preure o teratoal opo. I what way dd pulc opo mody

the juta acto? Ca you thk o other evet whch pulc opo

mattered? Whe t dd ot? Whe hould the teratoal commuty move rom

the expreo o outrage to poltcal ad eve mltary terveto?

3. Maurce Ogde Te Hagma (or the text go to www.propertyrghtreearch.org/artcle6/hagma_y_maurce_o.htm) preet cvc complacecy a the

eeded or cruel, tyracal regme. I the poem, a myterou hagma come

to tow ad erect a gallow or h vctm. Whe aked who thee vctm would

e, the hagma preet the towpeople wth a rddle:

Te a twkle grew h uckhot eye

ad he gave a rddle tead o reply.

He who erve me et, ad he

Shall ear the rope o the gallow-tree.

Read the whole poem. What the oluto to the hagma rddle? What do you

thk Ogde tryg to ay aout huma ehavor uder tyray? I what way

doe the poem peak to the re o Pochet govermet?4. Te Hagma preet a leak, almot urreal pcture o le uder a loodthrtytyrat. Marjore Ago call up mlar mage, decrg the ee o vod

ad tlle Chle rght ater the coup (ee page 16). I her word, the empty

plaza, the aece o chldre laughter, ad the ear o trager ymolze the

detructo o democracy. Compare the magery the two text. What do the two

decrpto have commo? Tk o the empty plaza, the aece o chldre,

ad the lece o the crowd the two text. What do they have to do wth

democracy? How do the two author expla the reakdow o cvc le?


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Beyondthe reading

For a amated vero o Maurce Ogde poem, ee Le Goldma ad Paul Jula, Te

Hangman, VHS (Carlad: CRM McGraw-Hll Flm, 16). Te tape avalale at the

Facg Htory ad Ourelve Reource Lrary.

1 Marjore Ago, apestries o Hope, Treads o Love: Te Arpillera Movement in Chile (Laham: Rowma &


Id.

3 Devorah Gotthel, peroal commucato wth the author, May , .

Id.

5 Ago, apestries o Hope, Treads o Love.

6 Peter Korluh, Te Pinochet File: A Declassied Dossier on Atrocity and Accountability (New York: New

Pre, 3), 1535.

Keeth M. Roert,Deepening Democracy? Te Modern Let and Social Movements in Chile and Peru

(Staord: Staord Uverty Pre), 5.

Te Iecapale Olgato o the Iteratoal Commuty to Brg to Jutce Toe Repole or CrmeAgat Humaty Commtted Durg the Mltary Govermet Chle,Amnesty International, Octoer ,

1, http://we.amety.org/lrary/Idex/egAMR161 (acceed Novemer 1, 5). See alo Joh

Dge, Te Condor Years: How Pinochet and His Allies Brought errorism to Tree Continents (New York: New

Pre, ), 6. Dge documet the collaorato o x Lat Amerca dctatorhp to py o, tmdate,

ad kll ther oppoet aroud the world. It etmated that 3, Argeta were dappeared durg the

volet uppreo o magary ad real eeme what wa called the drty war.

Ago, apestries o Hope, Treads o Love.

1 Id.

11 Departmet o State, Chlea Executo, Novemer 16, 13, Chile and United States: Declassied

Documents Relating to the Military Coup , 116, George Wahgto Uverty wete, www.gwu.

edu/~archv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB/ch1-1.htm (acceed March , ).

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stitching truth

I Pochet Chle, Roma Catholc pretplayed a cetral role deedg the

rght o the poor ad the derached.

Early her earch or her rother, Voleta

Morale oud the church her oly upport:

Ater our rother dappearace, we egalookg or hm everywherelke all therelatve o the detaed. . . . We ega dogthg mmedately ad oud out that at thePro-Paz Commttee, whch wa located oSata Moca Street, they were gettg all

type o report aout aue ad volatoo huma rght. We ega lookg orour rother jal, cemetere, morgue,commare, ad aywhere a mltaryregmet exted. We alo wet to the lawcourt, ad at may o the place we wet,they receved u wth mache gu jutor akg queto ad or gog aroudearchg or the detaed-dappeared. Weet thouad o letter aroad akg orhelp a well. We eve wet o ar a edgletter to the leader o the dctatorhp

themelve, ut othg came o all th.1

Te ma ehd the terath Comt

Pro-Paz wa Cardal Ral Slva Herquez.

Shortly ater the coup, Slva, who had

erved a archhop o Satago ce the

16, tepped to the role o uptader,

a term the author ad actvt Samatha

Power coed to dtguh people who

tad up to jutceote at great

peroal rkrom ytader.

Te clampdow o ewpaper, rado

ad televo tato, ad poltcal parte

let the church the ole remag pulc

voce. Soo ater the coup, Slva ad other

church leader pulhed a declarato

codemg ad expreg orrow or the

loodhed. T wa a udametal turg

pot or may memer o the Chlea

clergy: ome o them, cludg Cardal

Slva, had prevouly eleved that oly a

mltary terveto could retore law ad

order. Te cardal vted the Natoal

Stadum ad, hocked y the cale o the

govermet crackdow, tructed h

ade to eg collectg ormato rom

the thouad ockg to the church or

reuge. Slva acto led to a ope coct

wth Pochet, who dd ot hetate to

threate the church ad the Comt

Pro-Paz.

reading 4

aking a Stand Against Pinochet:

Te Catholic Church and the Disappeared

Cadial ral Silva hquz (ct) was

istumtal i spaki out aaist gal

Pioct (it o Silva) ad is abus o

uma its. Cadial Silva stablisd

t Comit Po-Paz to lp amilis o tdisappad.

APPho

to/San

tiago

Llanqu

n


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Udeterred, the orgazato oo

had etalhed a large etwork order

to help relatve o the dappeared ad

had provded ormato to the pre

ad teratoal orgazato regardg

huma rght aue Chle. . . . By md-1 [t] had 13 ta memer Satago

ad 5 other the provce. Te work

o the Comt Pro-Paz helped Voleta

Morale realze that he wa ot aloe

her earch. She tell u that

At the Pro-Paz Commttee we realzed thatevery day more people were arrvg wthprolem lke our. Ater gettg togetherwth all thee people, we decded to orma coordatg commttee to get etter

orgazed. Wthout amg the peoplevolved, we took tur drectg theorgazato o that everyoe would have achace to lear ad ga experece lookgor help our caue. Father Dael, a Frechpret who wa expelled rom Chle ad[exled to] Peru, together wth a u calledMara de lo Agele, were the rt oe towelcome u to the Pro-Paz Commttee.Tey receved u ad gave u upport adcomort the rt hour o deperatoad gre.3

All together, the Comt Pro-Paz etalhed

oce, all o them workg uder

cotat threat ad route haramet y

the authorte. At the ed o 15, Pochet

aouced that the ddet group had

ee aed oce ad or all.

I repoe, Cardal Slva ouded

Vcara de la Soldardad o Jauary 1, 16,

to carry o the work o the Comt Pro-Paz.

A part o the archdocee, the ew groupwa protected uder the coutry relgou

law: the church wa recogzed a a

depedet poltcal etty ad a actuary.

Te vcarate maaged to cotue t work

utl the ed o the dctatorhp.

May who ought the atace o the

ew orgazato had uered a doule

low: deprved o a amly memer, they

themelve were ote targeted ecaue o

ther poltcal ele. Author Iael Allede,

ece o the la predet, expla:

Poor wome the hatytow were thema vctm o the ew regme. Touado them ecame the oly provder or therhome, a ther huad, ather, ad o

dappeared or roamed the coutry lookgor meal jo. Repreo detroyed theramle, extreme poverty paralyzed them,ad ear codemed them to lece.

A they truggled alog, thee wome

ceaed to thk ad act a vctm ad

ecame poltcally actve. A Voleta

Morale expla, th wa a prooud

chage: We were ued to the act that here

Chle t wa the me who got volved

poltc, whle we wome dedcatedourelve to our home ad to our chldre,

othg more.5 Uder the church

protecto they ega to heal ther wouded

amle eve a they took jo outde the

home or the rt tme. Ad they oud

ther voce.

Apilla 4: At t disappaac o ti

usbads, ats, bots, ad sos, wom

ot atd at soup kitcs oaizd by

t cuc w ty sout comot ad

moal suppot.

U s e

d b y p e r m

i s s

i o n o

f M a r j o

r i e

A g o s

n

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stitching truth



Maro I. Agular, Cardal Ral Slva Herquez, Te Catholc Church, ad the Pochet Regme, 131:

Pulc Repoe to a Natoal Securty State, Te Catholic Historical Review , o. (Octoer 3), .

3 Ago, apestries o Hope, Treads o Love. Iael Allede, Foreword, apestries o Hope, Treads o Love.

5 Ago, apestries o Hope, Treads o Love.

COnneCTIOnS

1. Where ca vctm o a repreve ocety d olace, upport, ad veue toexpre ther outrage? How ca they peak whe ther govermet work to lece

all crtcm?2. What qualte ad authorty do relgou leader lke Cardal Slva rg to the

truggle agat auve regme? What advatage mght they have had that other

dd ot?

3. Cardal Slva wa a uptader. Why do ome people ad ttuto peak outagat jutce whle other rema let?

4. I her poeerg work,Accounting or Genocide (Free Pre, 1), ocologtHele Fe dee the crcle o people to whom we owe ome ort o det a our

uvere o olgato. What wa Cardal Slva uvere o olgato ater the

coup? What your uvere o olgato?

5. I the eay, Iael Allede expla that a large egmet o the Chlea populatochoe to e ytader to the acto o the dctatorhp; may, he argue, eve

welcomed t. Accordg to Allede, what reao motvated upporter o the

dctatorhp? Why do you thk ome people ad ttuto upport regme that

volate huma rght?


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reading 5

Finding a Voice in Solidarity and Art

Te dtraught wome who came to the

Vcara de la Soldardad created a umero cooperatve eterpreoup ktche,

laudre, educatoal workhopa well

a the arpillera workhop. Tee wome

were deperately poor: aout percet

o them had o moey ad o ovou

propect or ay. But rom depar, ay

Voleta Morale, emerged the dea o

makg arpllera. For lack o materal,

we got the dea o cuttg up our clothe

ad uravelg our weater to makethe rt arpllera.1 Soo they ega to

ttch together pece o old cloth they

had collected, ug the dometc kll o

emrodery, ewg, ad kttg to make

omethg they could ell. Tey the truck

a deal wth the church: retur or ther

tapetre, the vcarate would pay a mall

ee. Te come rom traacto aved

hudred o Satago amle.Valeta Boe, a artt who taught

may o the arpllerta how to ew,

weave, ad emroder, ay that whe

the workhop rt opeed the wome

were tll o hattered that they had to ue

th art orm a a kd o therapy. Voleta

Morale recall her early experece the

arpllera workhop:

We opeed our workhop 1, ut weddt go pulc utl 15. I thoe year, I

took o ull repolty or the earch o

my rother. My ter had ee kdapped

y a ca drver who terrogated her aout

the ame o people he kew. . . . Ater

that my ter wa arad to go out to the

treet to look or our rother. I wa cared

too. We were all arad to keep o akg

ad earchg. Te I put all my eergy to

the arpllera workhop; t wa

ometme the oly thg that

kept me alaced emotoally.

Tere I oud other people

who were uerg rom the

ame thg ad tryg to help

them ometme helped me

wth my ow tragedy.

Tee tapetre are a olk

art wth a log tradto.

Te Chlea olkger

Voleta Parra wa a amed

arpllerta who created

lvely, poltcally themed

arpllera the 16. She

poke or the poor ad the

oppreed, wrote Ago,

Wom com tot to suppot ac ot ad study t

pictus o missi amily mmbs. Mo ta 3,000 popl

disappad ad w xcutd dui Piocts dictatosip.

Diego

Go

ldberg

/Sygma

/Corb

is.

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hadwrtte meage told the tore o the

dappeared, addg a thrd dmeo to

the pcture o the rot. Tee artt dd

all they could to keep alve the people who

had vahed. o the polce ocer ad

govermet ocal who ted that they

had o record o the dappeared ad kew

othg o ther ate, the artt preeted a

record o her ow.

Te arpllera mataed the extece

o the dappeared Chle. Deed eve

a cro o ther grave, the dappeared

had memoral that alo deouced the

Pochet regme. Te arpilleras, wrte

Ago, repreet a cotat dalogue wth

the mg . . . a thread that coect the

dead wth the lvg. She expla:

Te arpilleras were or to a deolate ad

mufed perod Chlea culture, whe

ctze poke huhed voce, wrtg

wa ceored, ad poltcal parte vahed.

. . . [Tey] ourhed the mdt o a let

ato, ad rom the er pato o churche

ad poor eghorhood, tore made o

cloth ad yar arrated what wa ordde.Te arpilleras repreeted the oly ddet

voce extg a ocety olged to lece.

Te harh mltary dctatorhp that treed

dometcty ad pavty wa darmed [ad]

muzzled y the arpilleristas, who through a

very acet eme art, expoed wth cloth

ad thread the rutal experece o acm.

A tme wet y, the poltcal work o

thee wome ecame more ophtcated

ad dargad o dd ther artwork.

Over the year o the dctatorhp, the

arpllerta revealed creag olde

o compoto ad theme, ad a real

techcal rllace.

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An AbSenCe Of ShADOWS,A POeM by MArJOrIe AgOSn

Poet and literary scholar Marjorie Agosn worked with mothers o the disappearedin Argentina and Chile. Born in Chile and raised there until she emigrated with her

amily to the United States, Agosn returned to Chile several years ater the coup

and worked with local human rights groups and relatives o the disappeared.

She was among the frst to meet the arpilleristas in Chile and among the frst to

smuggle their political artwork to the United States, spreading the story o the

disappeared.

In this poem, An Absence o Shadows, Agosn grapples with our limited

ability to capture the meaning o painul and traumatic events; it ocuses on the

absence o the disappeared. Using metaphors, Agosn evokes eeling and images

associated with the missing and with the torturous uncertainty surrounding

the end o their lives. Her poem encourages recognition and communication

with the disappeared, to bring them closer (i only in our thoughts). The poem

struggles to fnd words where only ear, uncertainty, and anger exist, words that

express the status o people neither dead nor alive. Its words try to fll this empty

space, to anchor this experience in our hearts, and, in a way, to reintroduce the

disappeared back into our communities.

I.

Beyond the shadows

where the wind dwells

among strangers,in araway kingdoms

clouded in ear,

the disappeared

are among the shadows

in the intervals o dream.

II.

Its possible to hear them among

the dead branches,

they caress and recognize each other,

having let behind the burning

lights o the orestand the tapers o dawn and love.

I.

Ms all de las sombras

donde mora el viento

entre los extraos,en las lejanas del reino

nublado del miedo,

estn ellos los desaparecidos

entre las sombras

en los intersticios del sueo.

II.

Es posible orlos entre

las ramas muertas,

entre ellos se acarician y reconocen,

han dejado las luces encendidas de la oresta

y las velas del amanecer y el amor.


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III.

Ms all de la provincia

hay una ausencia,

una presencia de sombras

y de historias.

IV.

No les temas,

acrcate a ellos

con la paz de la ternura,

sin rigor sin uegos atuos.

Ms all de la sombra

en las trizaduras

del viento,

moran ellos y nosotros

en el reino de la ausencia.9

III.

Beyond the province

there is an absence,

a presence o shadows

and histories.

IV.

Dont ear them,

approach them

with gentle peaceulness,

without vehemence and senseless rage.

Beyond the shadows

in the streaming gusts

o wind,

they and we dwell

in the kingdom o absences.9


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stitching truth

COnneCTIOnS

1. Why dd the wome whoe amly memer dappeared chooe to maketapetre? What were ther practcal ad poltcal reao? What other way are

there to expre det repreve tme?2. Te arpllerta ued the art o emrodery to documet oth ther peroal ad

poltcal tore. What uque aout the power o vual art to tell tore?

3. Revew the arpllera th readg. What tory doe the arpllera tell? (Tk aoutthe color the artt choe, the mage he elected, ad the arragemet o the

oject the arpllera.)

4. I the poem, Marjore Ago ue metaphor ad mage to evoke the memory othe dappeared. Why do you thk he choe thoe metaphor (cludg dream,

wd, ad hadow)? What ca art expre that other orm o documetato

caot?

5. Some eleve that artt hould ocu o eauty ad avod poltc. How caart promote huma rght? What ucto ca art have poltcal truggle? I

educato?

Beyondthe reading

o lear more aout memoral ad ther htorcal ucto, go to Facg Htory

Iteret module Memory, Htory, Memoral. o acce the module you may alo copy

the ollowg lk to your rower: www.acghtorycampu.org/campu/memoral.

/welcome?OpeForm.



Id.

3 Marjore Ago, Scraps o Lie: Chilean Arpilleras, Chilean Women, and the Pinochet Dictatorship, tra. Cola

Fraze (oroto: Wllam-Wallace Pulher, 1), .

Ago, apestries o Hope.

5 Id.

6 Id. Id.

Id.

Marjore Ago, A Aece o Shadow, quoted Marjore Ago,At the Treshold o Memory, ed. ad

tra. Celete Kotopulo-Cooperma (Bualo: Whte Pe Pre, 1), 3.


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reading 6

Te Arpilleristas: Te Courage to Resist

Each moth, o a gve day, the

arpilleristas would rg the tapetre

they hoped to ell to the Vcara de la

Soldardad. Sce Chlea wome were

tradtoally arred rom ellg the

rut o ther laor, th udertakg wa

revolutoary. But a they etered the

world o laor ad poltc, ecaue they

were wome, the regme gored them

arpllerta were reer tha ay ma the

coutry.

Somewhat uexpectedly, arpllerta

challeged tradtoal role ad male

prejudce ad oud themelve

corotg ot the tate ut ther

ow meolk. I the rt year o the

dctatorhp, remark Morale, me

ever ad, Compaera, let go out ad

truggle together to chage the realty o

th coutry. Wome were the oe who

ought.1

Te me, he cotue, were omachista. Itead o helpg u thoe

year, they pulled u dow. Some o the

wome huad would ot let them

atted the meetg or help the trag

or wth the oldarty work. Arpllerta

Patrca Hdalgo echoe thee theme:

I we had tayed at home, we hadt

partcpated the workhop ad everythg

that wet o there, we would e the ame

a we were, we would ot have grow, wewould ot value ourelve. I wa ued to

havg moey, ut I wa educated lke mot

wome were, to occupy themelve wth

ther huad ad ther chldre. o have

repect ad oedece ad to work a lot,

ut our world wa alway the houe. Whe

a woma eg to thk ad kow ad

to eleve I am alo a pero everythg

chage.3

What had egu a a earch or loved oe

ecame omethg qute deret. Te

arpilleras, commeted Ago, repreeted

the empowermet o a type o dometc

laor that had ee codered margal,

a pece o work ever recogzed a

uchupad ad uotced. A they

acqured th uought power, thee womeecoutered ad reolutely aced ew

challege.

Memer o the arpllera cooperatve

came together or ther ow emotoal ad

ecoomc urvval. I the workhop they

dcovered oldarty ad cooperato ad

ega to weave a etwork o upport that

carred them through the deperate year o

the dctatorhp. A ther meetg ecame

regular ad requet, they gradually added

muc ad dacg to ther group actvte.

T led to the creato o a dace called

la cueca sola, popularzed y the Brth

muca ad huma rght actvt Stg

the late 1. radtoal Chlea

dace (cueca) wa alway perormed y

couple, ut la cueca olawa delerately

perormed aloe to protet the aece

o me thee wome lve. Sog adpoem y the arpllerta cotruted to

a creagly dtctve wome culture.

I the ed, they ormed roughly

workhop Satago aloe.

Reading


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ega legal proceedg ad or the rt

tme pulcly releaed [ther] ocal

[record] o the detaed ad dappeared.Te trke, he coted, marked a

mletoe our movemet, drawg more

people to t rak eve a t ega to

eek teratoal upport. Eort exteded

to other Lat Amerca coutre eg

ru a polce tate.6

Our group helped orm the Lat Amerca

Federato o the Famle o Detaed-

Dappeared (FEDEFAM) 11, ad our

rt cogre wa held Sa Jo, CotaRca. [Moreover], 15, FEDEFAM wa

recogzed y the Uted Nato a a

govermetal orgazato. T meat we

were allowed to actvely partcpate the

Uted Nato Commo o Huma

Rght o we could deouce ot oly

the dappearace ad mpromet,

ut alo the erou prolem o torture

Lat Amerca. Chle held a pecal place

that commo ecaue Uted Nato

ocal were et to our coutry to vtdeteto ceter [ad] maaged to receve

ormato drectly rom tortured poltcal

proer. T helped u ga more upport

rom teratoal group our ght or

jutce.

Te arpllerta played a pecal part

the roader truggle or teratoal

recogto. Hudred o arpllera were

muggled out o Chle ad ezed the

atteto o oreg audece. Exhto the Uted State, Caada, ad Frace

attracted thouad o vewer, ad

Amety Iteratoal colorul caledar

rought mage o thee arpllera to

may more. Whle the Weter meda

eated o th trkg art ad drew

atteto to Pochet crme, Amety

Iteratoal declared Chle mg

pero proer o cocece (people

mproed or ther poltcal ele)

ad lauched a teratoal campag

or ther releae. Amerca actvt

preed ther govermet to codem the

dctatorhp ad to demad that all huma

rght volato ceae mmedately. Whe

Jmmy Carter ucceeded Gerald Ford a

predet o the Uted State 1, h

admtrato declared that a coutry

huma rght record would e lked tooreg ad. o urvve, Pochet wa orced

to looe h traglehold o cvl rght.

Arel Dorma, a celerated wrter whoe

role Allede admtrato had orced

hm to ee hortly ater the coup, vted

Wom mac o t stts wit pictus o

ti disappad lovd os to potst t

abus o Piocts pow.

Use

dbyper

miss

iono

fPame

laCons

table

.

Reading


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stitching truth

the coutry aroud that tme ad reported

that Chlea have hetatly egu takg

over the pulc [pace] o the coutry,

gradually groupg aocato, clu,

cultural ceter, trade uo, utl they

have maaged to create a vat etwork o

orgazato outde the Govermet

cotrol.

Havg reached a crtcal ma, the

wome movemet had alled tel wth

log dormat poltcal parte to agtate

or Pochet outer. Dorma elt he

could ppot the momet whe the

tde tured: It wa o May 11, 13, at

oclock the eveg, to e prece, that

Pochet lot h hold over the coutry

he ha ruled or o may year. Tat wa

whe the Chlea people oud a way to

tell ther dctator they had had eough.

Te ovolet orm o protet poeered

y the arpllerta ally reoated

throughout the etre captal. Te people

repoded, Dorma reported, y agg

pot ad pa, lowg whtle, lettg

the chldre looe to kck up a rucku,

uldg arrcadead, a the oemgled wth other oud ad echoe, the

powerle hatat o Chle dcovered,

wth amazemet, that they cottuted the

majorty.

Wome retured to Chle the poltcal

voce t had lotthey dd t through art,

through ther determato, ad through

the eme ymol o the empty cook pot.

Poltcal cett La Baldez argue that gvg a poltcal voce to the ato, the

wome who joed orce ecame a true

protet movemet.1

Apilla 7: W a t dtaid-

disappad? Tis apilla dpicts t

suppssio o public dmostatios ad

cotasts t violc o t im wit t

oviolt potst o t popl.

Use

dbyperm

iss

iono

fMar

jorie

Agos

n.


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VIOLeTA MOrALeSS SeArCh fOr her brOTher

Newton Morales disappeared shortly ater the military coup o September 1973.

His sister, Violeta Morales, set aside everything else and began a tireless searchor her missing brother, a search she continued until her death in September

2000. Struggling with a tradition that denied women a political role, with

the repressive dictatorship, and with her own loss, Violeta recounts a story

illustrating the courage and determination o many women who became artist-

activists in the course o the search or their relatives.

Since the military coup on September 11, 1973, we knew that my brother

would be detained. . . . Ater working in the industry [o electronic engineering]

or several months, his co-workers at Sumar elected him president o the plant

union. We in the amily knew that they were looking or him because o it. On

September 11, 1973, a military order was issued saying that everybody with

union positions had to report to the government authorities. That is what the juntadictated immediately ater rising to power. . . .

When Newton came home the men took him by the arms and he called out

to my mother who was in the kitchen. Mother, the DINA is taking me away.

My mother didnt understand what was happening at the time because she had

never been political. The men tried to assure her because she was grasping my

brother. One o the agents took her aside and said, Dont worry maam; well

bring him back in ten minuteswe only want to speak with him. Were riends

rom work. My brother looked pale and didnt say anything, probably so as not to

righten our mother. . . . When they took my brother Newton away rom home,

my other brother was arriving and ollowed the wagon in his taxi. From a distance

he saw them bring Newton close to the church o San Francisco, a place that we

now know as Londres 38.

Ater our brothers disappearance, we began looking or him everywherelike

all the relatives o the detained. The DINA was created in July 1974, and the

military continued rening its methods and applying them more cruelly. We

began doing things immediately and ound out that at the Pro-Paz Committee,

which was located on Santa Monica Street, they were getting all types o reports

about abuses and violations o human rights. We began looking or our brother

in jails, cemeteries, morgues, commissaries, and anywhere a military regiment

existed. We also went to the law courts, and at many o the places we went, they

received us with machine guns just or asking questions and or going around

searching or the detained-disappeared. We sent thousands o letters abroad

asking or help as well. We even went so ar as sending letters to the leaders othe dictatorship themselves, but nothing came o all this. . . .

My sister, my brother, my mother, and I went to Pro-Paz everyday and

everywhere where we thought they could help us nd our brother. . . . All o us

Reading


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st