Spiders in Chile: Day 1

As a part of the University of Richmond's EnCompass Program, eight Spider student-athletes are traveling to Chile from May 1st to May 9th.

Hi Spiders,

We touched down in Santiago, Chile this morning at 8:00 AM after a short flight from Richmond to Atlanta last night, followed by a nine-hour overnight flight from Atlanta to Santiago. Our travel was mostly smooth, apart from a one-hour delay on our flight to Santiago due to a mechanical issue that fortunately was resolved quickly.

Upon arrival, we made our way through customs and met up with our friendly guides, K and Victor, who drove us into downtown Santiago. We made our first stop to get coffee and bread at a local cafe, which was much needed after a long night of travel.

Then, we made our way to the Museum of Memory and Human Rights. Here, we learned about the history of Chile: from democratically electing socialist Salvador Allende, to its military coup and period as a dictatorship under Augusto Pinochet, and the eventual end of the regime. Our guide at the museum told us about the United States' role in the military coup that overthrew Allende, and the subsequent atrocities that occurred under the military dictatorship. We were particularly struck by the cruelty of the methods of murder used and the range of victims, including children. We also learned that Chile was able to establish the Museum of Memory and Human Rights largely because of Chile's two truth commissions, established after the dictatorship, that investigated human rights abuses during the Pinochet period to promote national reconciliation. We found it interesting that despite the United States' history of human rights violations, there was no similar commission.

After leaving the museum, we drove to a local market where we walked through fruit stands and ate bananas. Here, our guide told us about how divisive and complicated the politics of Chile are. We learned that despite the human rights violations under Pinochet, many Chileans appreciated his economic policies, and that he eventually resigned as dictator without conflict.

Then, we drove past the Palacio La Moneda which is marked by the bombing and its seizure during the coup on September 11, 1973 in route to the Plaza de Armas, the main square in Santiago. It was here that we enjoyed a view from the outside of the Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral, an important symbol of the history of Catholicism in Chile, where, just as we paused for a photo, a mime grabbed a couple of people from our group by the ankle, making for a surprising, but entertaining moment. After taking in the Cathedral, we walked across the plaza and ordered Chilean pizza for lunch, which we enjoyed outside in the plaza.

Our final stop for the day was San Cristobal Hill, which sits in the middle of the city. We rode up the hill on a cable car (a slightly scary experience for those of us frightened by heights) and took in the breathtaking views of the city with the backdrop of the Andes Mountains. Once we reached the top, we walked to the Statue of the Virgin Mary and enjoyed a panoramic view of the city. We were impressed by how vast Santiago is, as the city stretched as far as we could see. After riding the cable car back down the mountain, we drove to the hotel and enjoyed a delicious dinner of salmon and chicken, where we reflected on the day and how grateful we are to be able to experience this beautiful country together.

Jason Raffel
Men's Cross Country

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