Villa Grimaldi

I took a trip out to Peñalolen a couple of days ago to check out a new part of the city and in particular El Parque de la Paz, previously known as Villa Grimaldi. This was the principal detention centre in Santiago under the military dictatorship but is today a memorial to the 204 victims who were killed or 'disappeared' here and the thousands more who were tortured.

Villa Grimaldi was originally a large property belonging to a wealthy family whose daughter was arrested following the coup and subsequently released after the family handed the property over to the military. It was then converted into a brutal centre of interrogation and torture. A huge number of people passed through its gates to face the brutality of the regime. The majority of the buildings were torn down in an attempt to destroy evidence of the terrible cruelty that had taken place there. Here is a quote from a survivor, taken from the Rettig Commision report in 1991 that investigated the crimes of the dictatorship:

'The day begins with a breakfast of boiling tea in a small metal container and half a bread. Lunch is at midday, soup with potato skins floating around in it and pieces of carrots. Sometimes we eat the agents' leftovers, with olive pits, bits of fish and fishbones mixed in with it. Almost impossible to swallow. The screams and moans take your appetite away. But we're forced to do it. Meanwhile, they never stop calling people to the "parrilla" (the "grill" torture method), to endless interrogations... It is a world of contrasts. Guards play the guitar to the sound of the wailing, while in a corner, lying on the floor, Manuel Diaz, alias "El Tano" is dying, little by little...'

names of victims at Villa Grimaldi

So I took the bus through the peaceful suburbs of La Reina and Peñalolen to this unassuming and peaceful corner of the city at the foot of the mountains, a pretty part of Santiago that bears no sign of the suffering and brutality that once occurred here. Upon arrival, it is difficult to associate the tranquility and even charm of Villa Grimaldi with its past horrors. On a warm and sunny winter's afternoon, with the beautiful snow-capped Santiago cordillera looming over, I walked through the gates and walked around the estate. There is a swimming pool, empty, and a fountain, turned off. In the middle of the large courtyard that constitutes the villa, there is a stunning tree, it's base spread in a huge ring with a great number of trunks leading off in different directions. The other trees, the names of which I don't know, are full of small bright green parrots making an absolute racket. I wondered if it was like this back then, and if so, would the fresh air, imposing mountain, and squawks of the birds acted as a source of hope for the prisoners or would it have heightened their despair, having such natural beauty so close but unreachable.

entrance to Villa Grimaldi

El Parque de la Paz is smaller than I was expecting but it has maintained those parts that weren't demolished by the military rulers. There are signs that mark the sites of the cells, and a large memorial at the far end covered in the names of the disappeared. An outdoor auditorium fills a large part of the courtyard, as these days lectures, workshops and other public events are held here, another step in the rehabilitation of Chile from its darkest days. 

I didn't stay for a very long time as it is not a large place and the small museum part was closed. But it was a powerful reminder of the system of terror and oppression that was in place here in Chile within living memory. It is certainly an important place to visit in order to learn more about those times.


Here's the website: http://www.villagrimaldi.cl/


To get to Villa Grimaldi, take buses 513 or DO9 from Plaza Egaña metro station.