Chile’s Bulnes Bridge: Remembering the past, honoring the victims

Michael Fox (narrator): Aquiles Cordova adopted a bridge. 

It is not a pretty bridge. Four lanes of busy traffic rush across Puente Bulnes during most hours. To the North, it buttresses against two overpasses that lead to a bustling highway. Below it, run the milky grey waters of the Mapocho River, after passing through downtown Santiago. Chile. 

Trash and discarded clothes catch against the rocky shoreline or the concrete legs of the bridge. They flap in the current. It reminds Aquiles of a past that no one wants to remember, but which everyone must. 

On special days, Aquiles Cordova holds memorials. 

Once a month, he leads cleanup brigades. 

Every so often, he invites muralists to come. They paint the walls. Huge life-sized pictures of faces and figures. Names and phrases like “Never Again.”

50 years ago. In another time, this bridge was a favorite execution site for the military and police of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. 

Hundreds were shot and pushed over the bridge into the rushing waters below, in the early months of the Pinochet dictatorship.

Today, Aquiles Cordova will not let it be forgotten—ever. 

For him, it’s personal. The day after the September 11th coup, 1973, a young Aquiles Cordova found himself on the edge of Puente Bulnes, staring down the barrel of a gun. A young soldier on the other side, shouting orders. 

Aquiles’s life flashed before his eyes. He saw it all: birth to present. Like a movie real on high speed.

And then… he was allowed to go. He was one of the lucky ones.

Aquiles Cordova has grey hair now. 

He will never forget. 

He won’t let anyone else forget either.

…

Hi folks, thanks for listening. I’m your host Michael Fox.

I visited Puente Bulnes late last year in Santiago, and covered one of the mural painting activities there. It is at the same time a beautiful, sad and tragic place, but where hope is painted on the walls, and the memories are kept alive of those whose lives were lost… so that this terrifying past may never be repeated.

I am posting some images of the bridge and the mural painting session on my Patreon. The link is in the show notes.

As always, if you like what you hear and enjoy this podcast, please consider becoming a subscriber on my Patreon. It’s only a few dollars a month. I have a ton of exclusive content there, only available to my supporters. And every supporter really makes a difference.

This is episode 62 of Stories of Resistance, a podcast series produced by The Real News. Each week, I bring you stories of resistance and hope like this. Inspiration for dark times. If you like what you hear, please subscribe, like, share, comment, or leave a review.

Thanks for listening. See you next time.