VILLA GRIMALDI.                          LA MONEDA.                      CEMENTERIO GENERAL.

TESTIMONY:

To whom it may concern:
 
As a former attorney for political refugees and the author of a novel concerning human rights, I was at first intrigued by the prospect of having a Chilean human rights specialist explain to my wife and me the history of those horrific years when Chile had the worst human rights record in the civilized world.  But I never expected to fall into the hands of someone whose own family history, university education, and personal zeal for the cause of human rights make her truly the ideal guide to inform any visitor about this tumultuous time in Chilean history.
 
Francisca Herera is a relatively young Chilean whose own family waited out the Pinochet years (1973-1990) in Paris.  Now working for la Bicicleta Verde in Santiago, she guides the visitor around the city to historical sites of significance during Pinochet's reign of terror--the houses of torture, the monuments, the government buildings, and, most compellingly, the graves--not only of personages like Salvadore Allende, Victor Jara, and Violeta Parra, but also of those who disappeared during those years and were never heard from again.  During this fascinating excursion into historical memory, she lucidly (in fluent English, French or Spanish) recounts the relevant developments of the time, placing them in the wider context of Chilean history up to the present.  This is a "must" tour for anyone interested in Chile's not-too-distant past for, as Francisca so eloquently points out, it has very much to do with the current political culture in the country.
 
But this is not a "tour" in any usual sense; it's a journey into the dark side of Chile's past, one that really makes you appreciate what must have been a terrifying time for Chileans--to fear that the next knock at the gate may be for you, to worry that a friend late for a meeting might never arrive. or to be forced to hold your tongue as your brother or sister, your best friend, your own children disappear, one by one.  Francisca herself embodies this history, has studied and researched her subject in academia (at the Sorbonne in Paris), and makes it real, tangible, and compelling for anyone with even a casual interest in the subject.
 
For me and my wife, the few hours we spent with Francisca were one of the highlights of our month-long visit to Chile.  While we loved the Chilean landscape, wines, music, and people, those hours with Francisca were unique and unforgettable.