Author: Edith Fuentes

Immigration in Chile

Graffiti on the side of a german church in Valparaiso

Café Pu In Valparaiso. A Peruvian restaurant

One of the main reasons I wanted to travel to Chile was to get exposed the culture customs and traditions that mild the experiences of a typical Chilean. This meant learning about the political climate in Chile but not limited to learning about the economy. I wanted to understand current issues that affect this countries demographics whether it be immigration or emigration. In order to get a real sense of what was happening I indulged in a lot of conversation with the locals to grasp a real understanding on immigration in Chile. After various personal narratives I learned about the huge Venezuelan and Peruvian population that immigrated to Chile to find better opportunities in this country as theirs experience a huge financial setback governed by the order of a corrupt government. It’s amazing to walk around and see that a lot of Chileans accepting others into their country. I notice that there are  lot for Peruvian and Venezuelan businesses that are all around Santiago and Valparaiso  In addition, it was incredibly interesting to see Chileans support these businesses by not only being friendly and accepting of these businesses but by supporting them  Although some support immigration the country experiences a strong setback from government. After talking with locals many feel that the president resembles  Trump’s as he pushes for tighter control over the flow of immigration. This strong anti immigration platform infests the country as some have take it upon themselves to graffiti Trump’s famous slogan. It’s interesting to see how these two viewpoints play out in a different country. Although I saw both views expressed in a nonviolent matter I wonder about the violence that might occur to draw attention this political debate about immigration in Chile. As I continutue to learn about the political climate in Chile as a student I hope to use my experiences to continue to mold my perspectives on immigrants and the push and pull factors that influence one to immigrate to another country.

The Truth Behind the Lies

I was anticipating my visit to the museum of memory. I had always learned about the attacks that happened in Chile but I wanted to get my hands on the hard evidence. I wanted to know what actually happened with US intervention in Chile. Specifically , I wanted to see the classified documents first handedly on the order made by the CIA and other government agencies under the presidency of Richard Nixon. To my surprise there was little to about nothing displayed on US involvement in the attacks. ( pictured are the only two CIA documents displayed). Analytically interpreting the document it clearly portrays the CIA’s point of view on the attacks. Moreover, it shows how little they think of Chileans and their government. This is clearly shown as the document repeatedly refers to the left wing as terrorits. The language that is utilized is incredibly offensive but foreshadows the support that the CIA and US government in general will have on the attacks against the working class of Chile. I decided I wanted to learn more! I soon noticed a basement floor where students from universities can come and do research. I decided to stay for an hour and do research. They had nimerous artifacts and classified documents in their database. It all made sense after doing my research. I learned about the United States illegal activities in Chile and how they overrided Chilean power based on a supposed “ drug transaction”. However, after analyzing the situation I soon came to realize that the United States abused their power to gain access to the military’s channels to know information about what was going on. Apart from that there are various documents, books, and testimonies from war generals who recollect their transactions with members from the US like the CIA. Also, i discovered that the United States president had a certain perspective on Chile and got involved in Chilean attacks by providing ammunition and financial support. The United States took part in this horrific event that still affects people do this day. It makes me wonder about the sad reality of the situation. When will the United States stop it’s involvement and when is enough enough ? Where do we draw a line on human decency?

CIA documents on the attack in Chile

( US INVOLVEMENT IN CHILEAN ATTACKS HELD IN THE MUSEUM) 

Government and Collective Efficacy

View from the top where a little café is located. Showcasing the cerro on one side and the city on the other.

Today on our last stop of the day we visited UC lo Contador Campus ( school of architecture). The Chilean guide and professor at the school was absolutely amazing apart from letting us into all the amazing spaces on campus. Specifically, I was incredibly impressed with his comment about collective efficacy in Chile. He mentioned how Chile had been facing natural disasters -mainly earthquakes- for the past 10-15 years and that this was incredibly hard on the government. Moreover, that a continuous flow of natural disasters put a huge strain on the government. This caused a huge financial strain on the government which led the governments funds to dry up. This strain existed because of the continuous renovations thay needed to be done on the buildings and projects affected by natural disasters like earthquakes. Normally, this would be a huge issue and questions about government’s level of leadership would be in question. However, it was poetically mentioned that this caused a blessing for the community. This created what we know as collective efficacy. The community came together to unifórmalo spear head the problem head on. As a collective effort they rounded up funds and support from architects as well as a few supportive politicians to raise money and ideas on how to combat this issue. This shows how Chilean people are so much different than the United States where our culture is very individualistic. Here we see the strong bonds created in social circles but also the importance of community and how that relationship is incredibly important in times like these. However, what I enjoyed the absolute most was the fact that this bind still continues to grow. That as a community in times of new the Chilean community comes together to combat issues regardless if it affects them on an individual level or not.

Pre-Colombian Museum Reflection

Pre-Colombian Museum focused on the basement floor. This indicates how the floor is set up in context to the post.

These are head pieces worn by commoners and sometimes important members of the community. Colors and size are an important element that distinguishes someone in a community.

These are head pieces worn by leaders of the community which are entirely made of silver. Chile is known for its silver industry.

As someone with a background in criminal justice and recognition of our nations laws I am walkways fascinated with understanding the structure that sets up hierarchies in society. I truly believe history tells us a lot about how it molds current societies. My experience with the Pre-Columbian Museum was able to teach me a little bit about what I wanted to know about Chile- what happened historically in Chile with specific tribes\groups that caused Chile to be shaped the way that it is? Or Why is the current class structure the way it is? And most importantly how was it reinforced and how do we memic that today? ( how is power reinforced). These were all questions that were answered through a historical perspective as I learned about the Mapuches. I discovered the importance of detail- but detail in their traditional wear-when it came to distinguishing people in society. This was my fascination with it because I would assume it would be based on race like in the history of the United States but it was determined by class. Furthermore, this distinction could be easily determined by understanding the color and size of someone’s hat. ( pictured below). Customs in this culture focused a lot on the traditional wear and that is exactly how the power dynamic was set up. In addition, I wanted to look at leaders in the community. Specifically, how they determined power and what set them apart. Not surprisingly I found that this was a social structure between themselves all based on the amount of silver they wore in their heads pieces. As many know, Chile is rich in its silver industry and this group took advantage of it as every coin of silver on their head piece represented more power. As described by one of the informants of the museum this power could grow naturally from year to year or it could be gained by acts of bravery and hard work that one would do for its people. This was someone that blew me away as a social major because I always learned about the American society which made me utilize it as a reference for comparison. Shockingly I found something completely different in Chile.

 

I really hope to keep learning about Chilean history as I indulge with conversation with locals and come across intelectual spaces like these.

 

Honestly, I enjoyed learning a lot on day 3. 

 

Edith’s Pre-Departure Reflection

I am honestly extremely excited to be going abroad for Spring break my senior year before graduating. It’s such a privilege to go abroad and study in such amazing cities like Santiago. I look forward to a lot from the food to the NICE weather. But most of all, I am looking forward to growing from this experience as a student and personally.

As a scholar, I hope to grow my understanding of Chilean architecture. Furthermore, hope to learn more about Chilean history through my discussions with the locals and visiting the museums. In addition, I hope to grow my Spanish speaking skills. Specifically, I am excited to use my Spanish extensively and hopefully expand my Spanish speaking abilities by adding on Chilean slang. In addition, I hope to utilize my Spanish as I navigate the streets of Chile. In addition, to learn through conversation with locals the importance of understanding the strong history that has molded today’s Chile.

Personally, I hope to grow my understanding of what an immigrant is from the perspective of a Chilean. I want to learn about the economy and the government. Moreover, learn about the push factors that cause many immigrants to migrate to other countries with better opportunities. I hope to learn a lot about myself in Chile as I discover and learn about this great country!