Las Gafas de Allende

by Hilary Lamb

For our Cross Cultural class, we split up into groups to give presentations covering the history of Chile. We took a trip one Friday to the Museo Histórico Nacional so we could gather information for each topic. My group (me, Spencer R, Andrew, and Ibeth) had the subject of Allende, Pinochet, and the coup that happened in 1973. We had learned a little during orientation about this controversial period in history, but it was interesting to get closer and see memorabilia from the time period. 

Salvador Allende, the first democratically elected Socialist, was elected in 1970. His overall goal was to convert the country to Socialism. During his presidency lots of strikes and protests started arising because the people were unhappy with the way things were being run. There were countless political and economic problems. On September 11, 1973, amidst the escalating violence, there was a coup and the military attacked La Moneda, the building where the president works and where political people work. Allende was given an opportunity to escape, but locked himself inside and eventually took his own life. General Augusto Pinochet emerged as the new leader. Long story short, he ruled as a dictator of Chile until 1990, when he eventually stepped down.

There is so much more to this whole event, this is only a snippet. It's a very sensitive topic in Chile, one that is still full of passion and emotion still to this day. But it is interesting to see how this event has shaped and changed so much of the Chilean culture and I find it really fascinating. I hope that I can continue to learn more about the history and politics of Chile throughout the three months here.

(A part of Allende's glasses, found in La Moneda after the coup. From the Museo Histórico Nacional)