A Day of History and An Old Friend in Santiago

The Great Ducknik took this photo this morning of the Main Cathedral in Santiago reflected on the glass of the new office tower across the street. They are tearing down everything old in this city as fast as they can, and putting up tower after shopping center after office complex. It's a little like Singapore a generation ago.

To us it's a shame, but to the Chileans it seems to be a necessity. They are trying so hard to erase the memories of General Pinochet, who many here say was the very worst of all the South American dictators of the last fifty years.

But they also say Pinochet, who killed and disappeared so many innocent people, was the only dictator whose reign brought economic prosperity to the country, and whose transfer back to civilian rule, almost twenty years later, was peaceful and without incident.

It's hard to know how to deal with that for we Americans who see black and white and can almost never relate to all that lies in between. Whatever the many truths are, the Victor Jara Foundation still has their building on Brazil Street. Victor Jara was a Chilean folk singer who was murdered by the government in 1973 and whose legacy is probably stronger now that it ever was.




Chile is also red and blue but we're talking about red subway trains and blue subway trains.




After a very long walk to the Victor Jara center, which was a story all in itself
because you can't get people to tell you where the place is -- they don't want to talk about it, even to give directions, it seems -- Plot and Duck finally got to hook up with The Great PD's friend and one time roommate in Santa Cruz Oscar Squella. Oscar is a Chilean artist who is back in Santiago now. The last time Plot and Duck saw him was at PD and 5H's wedding.



He has a year and a half old baby daughter now, Agata Marina. Here is how Papa drew his little girl.