What Happened Here?

The military dictatorship in Chile, which lasted almost 17 years under Augusto Pinochet, sought to eliminate all organizations or movements opposed to the regime, through the arrest of tens of thousands of people. Prisoners were incarcerated in makeshift jails on public grounds: in army regiments, naval ships, Air Force bases, police stations, and even sporting arenas. Many prisoners were shot, killed during torture sessions, or “disappeared” after being taken into military detention.

Following the coup d’Etat, soldiers from the Directorate of National Intelligence (DINA), created by the military junta, appropriated “Villa Grimaldi,” the estate of a wealthy family named Vasallo. This ornate Italian villa and gardens was transformed into military intelligence offices from 1973-1978, and was dubbed the “Terranova Barracks.” Under the DINA, Villa Grimaldi became one of the epicenters of cruelty and violence of the military dictatorship. Approximately 4,500 political prisoners passed through Villa Grimaldi, of whom four were executed and 226 went missing.

The Villa Grimaldi house contained rooms specifically used for torture. Prisoners were not allowed to clean or change their clothes, and were only permitted to go to the bathroom at certain times, without exception. Poor and insufficient food only added to the steady deterioration of prisoners’ health. Villa Grimaldi maintained a state of permanent activity, virtually without interruption. Equipment entered and left the compound at all times of day and night, while agents engaged in torture at all hours.

Upon their evacuation, military intelligence burned the house in an attempt to destroy all evidence of its history. Virtually all buildings on the site were bulldozed to the ground.

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What Happened Here?

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