This arpillera shows a credit union in a poor neighbourhood. It shows the exterior on the bottom half of the work, and the inside on the upper half. This work bears many similarities in style, composition and technique to Caja de crédito popular 2 / Credit Union in the Barrio 2 and was likely produced by the same anonymous arpillerista.
Outside the credit union a long line of people on the right queue to get inside, with packages tucked under their arms. A man outside sells cigarettes. A sign outside the building advertises an auction; unusually the sign is handwritten on a piece of card as opposed to being stitched text on fabric. The door to the credit union opens up, revealing the opening hours.
Inside the queue continues. There are more handwritten signs stitched onto the orange fabric of the walls, defining the constraints of the credit union, such as a limit on 100 credit cards, and another stating they do not accept used clothing, presumably for the auction advertised outside. On either side of the pillar at the centre two women, each dressed in aqua blue dresses, mirror each other with very different experiences. The woman on the centre-right, Maria Teresa, smiles as she is called forward to collect her credit slip. The woman on the centre-left cries as the item she has brought to be auctioned has been rejected.
The contrasting emotions reflect the desperate economic situation poor people faced in Chile at this time, some of the most extreme years of economic reform under Pinochet. Money was hard to come by, so what little could be got might be the difference between feeding a family for a week and eating nothing. These credit unions could be a lifeline; however; they had limited resources and could not always provide everything their communities needed. (HM0425) | 
