Startling in its graphic depiction of recovered bodies, this sombre arpillera challenges us to face the truth of the scale of disappearances and human rights abuses perpetrated by the violent Pinochet regime.
In a letter dated 1990, tucked in a small pocket on the reverse side, arpillerista Maria Hermosina Donoso chillingly informs us: “We are just emerging from the punishment of the dictatorship that started in 1973. There have been found many dead bodies, with their hands tied up to their back, close to the places they were buried alive.”
Creating this arpillera enabled these women to publicly highlight the truth of the fate of their disappeared loved ones, a truth long denied by the authorities. Only now can these women, having finally had their truth vindicated, begin their journey forward with hope and dignity. |