Chile's dictator Augusto Pinochet's death has caused major disturbances in the streets of Santiago. On one side, we have the supporters/mourners who back his "iron fist" leadership, and on the other side, those who are against the dictator and who celebrate his death with dancing in the streets. Yet among either extreme, we see small groups of people holding candles and photos of their missing loved ones who disapeared during Pinochet's dictatorship.

Salvador Allende, former president of Chile, was killed by the millitary under the authority of Pinochet in September 11, 1973. During the leadership of Allende, Chile suffered extreme economic hardship and the country itself fell from one of the leading countries on South America, to one of the poorest. Pinochet's take over the country called "El Golpe de Estado", changed the fate of the people of Chile.

The first 7 years were very prosperous for Chile's economy and government. He rebuilt the country from the terrible state it was in, and helped push Chile's educational system to be the best in South America. What happened after those 7 years is what the people of Chile continue to suffer through and deal with to this day.

Pinochet became aware that several political parties - mainly the communists - were plotting against him, and thus began the extinguishing process. In order to protect himself and what he'd built, he began ordering that those parties that were against him, to be "dealt with". By the end of his rule in 1990, around 3,000 men, women, and children had disapeared and were murdered, and some 29,000 people had been tortured.

Even up to his last few hours of life, Pinochet continued to deny his involvement saying he'd never embarrass the Chilean people in front of the eyes of the world.

It's surreal to witness such extreme emotion from the Chilean people. I'm neither for nor against Pinochet, but I do believe that if he had only retired from his dictatorship at the end of those first 7 prosperous years, the Chilean people would have hailed him as being a hero instead of a tyrant.

The rioting, mourning, and the celebrating was happening all around where I'm currently residing. I only attempted to leave my cousin's apartment in order to take pics a couple of times because it's very dangerous. The pics I'm about to post are from the rioting & celebrating that happened near me, and the funeral shots are ones I found from a Chilean website.

Protesting against the government
in hopes that Pinochet will not be given
full military honors and state funeral.

Celebrating Pinochet's death

Mourning the lost people that disapeard during Pinochet's reign.
Each person here holds a photo of their missing person
with the words at the top saying:
"where are they?"