Statue of President Allende, Santiago
Inconceivable a short time ago, this statue
is in memorial to former President Salvador Allende, the first communist
elected president. His controversial rule, in a time of serious instability
in Chile, was the final straw that led to a coup that installed the now
notorious General Pinochet in power. Chile has always had a rocky
past, and this was to be one of the toughest periods. Allende killed
himself (supposedly), and thousands of his supporters were killed.
It's only been the recent openness in the country that has allowed such
a statue to exist on the Constitution Plaza in front of the main government
building, Palacio de La Moneda.
©2000, Jeffrey L. Cooper
