The inferno : a story of terror and survival in Chile / Luz Arce ; translated by Stacey Alba D. Skar.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Arce, Luz.

Contributor:

Skar, Stacey Alba D., 1969-

Series:

Living in Latin America

Standardized Title:

Infierno. English

Language:

English

Spanish

Subjects (All):

Chile--Politics and government--1973-1988.

Chile.

Politics and government.

Chile. Central Nacional de Informaciones.

Political persecution--Chile.

Political persecution.

Human rights--Chile.

Human rights.

Arce, Luz.

Genre:

Autobiographies.

Physical Description:

xx, 381 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Madison, Wis. : University of Wisconsin Press, [2004]

Summary:

As a member of Salvador Allende's Personal Guards (GAP), Luz Arce worked with leaders of the Socialist Party during the Popular Unity Government from 1970 to 1973. In the months following the coup, Arce served as a militant with others from the Left who opposed the military junta led by Augusto Pinochet, which controlled the country from 1973 to 1990. Along with thousands of others in Chile, Arce was detained and tortured by Chile's military intelligence service, the DINA, in their attempt to eliminate alternative voices and ideologies in the country. Arce's testimonial offers the harrowing story of the abuse she suffered and witnessed as a survivor of detention camps, such as the infamous Villa Grimaldi.

But when faced with threats made to her family, including her young son, and with the possibility that she could be murdered as thousands of others had been, Arce began to collaborate with the Chilean military in their repression of national resistance groups and outlawed political parties. Her testimonial thus also offers a unique perspective from within the repressive structures as she tells of her work as a DINA agent whose identifications even lead to the capture of some of her former friends and companeros.

During Chile's return to democracy in the early 1990s, Arce experienced two fundamental changes in her life that led to the writing of her story. The first was a deep spiritual renewal through her contacts with the Catholic Church whose Vicariate of Solidarity had fought for human rights in the country during the dictatorship. The second was her decision to participate within the legal system to identify and bring to justice those members of the military who were responsible for the crimes committed from 1973 to 1990. Luz Arce's book invites readers to rethink the definition of testimonial narrative in Latin America through the unique perspective of a survivor-witness-confessor.

Contents:

Early Experiences 3

In the GAP (Group of Personal Friends of the President) 5

Socialist Militant 8

GEA (Special Support Groups) 10

September 11, 1973 15

Clandestine Life 24

A Personal Choice 25

Contact on Italia Avenue 28

Party Work 29

Ricardo Ruz Zanartu 32

At the Yucatan Detention Center 35

Tejas Verdes 41

Military Hospital (Hosmil) 47

Other Prisoners at the Hosmil 52

Conversation with the Assistant Director 55

The Chaplain and the Eucharist 57

Nightmare in the Bathroom 59

Rodolfo, Air Force Soldier 61

End of the First Detention 63

Freedom under Surveillance 65

Second Detention 73

My Grandfather 76

Private Rodolfo Under Interrogation 82

In the Tower at Villa Grimaldi 85

Back to the Yucatan Detention Center 89

Ricardo Lawrence Mires 92

Collaboration 95

Further and Further 105

Nightmares 107

Marcelo Moren Brito 110

At the Yucatan Detention Center Again 112

A Companero from the Party 113

Mario Aguilera Salazar 114

Another Detention Center 117

You Are Luz, I Will Be Sombra 119

Osvaldo Romo 124

Cuatro Alamos 128

The Unborn One 129

Ollague Detention Center 133

Traitor and Whore 142

Palmira Almuna Guzman, "Pepa" 146

Lieutenant "Pablo" 147

My Lung Infection and My Last Meeting with My Brother 151

Thoughts at Ollague 152

Hunger for Bread 154

Seeing My Family 154

Female Personnel at Ollague 155

Lumi Videla Moya 158

Sergio Perez Molina 164

The Day Miguel Died 166

Alejandra's Suicide Attempt 168

Captain Ferrer, Alias "Max Lenou" 169

The Terranova/Villa Nova Grimaldi Detention Center 173

Another Christmas Present 176

Christmas 1974 177

New Year's Eve at Terranova 178

Investigation 183

My Son and Family Court 185

Creating the Vampiro Group 186

Rolf Wenderoth Pozo 187

A Companero: "Joel" 195

Bill Beausire Alonso 196

Hugo Martinez, Alias "Tano" 197

The Eight from Valparaiso 199

Lautaro Videla's Arrest 201

Marcelo Moren Brito's Nephew 202

The Press Conference 202

The Little House Next to the Tower 203

Major Wenderoth's Trip 204

General Bonilla's Death 206

Alfredo Rojas's Arrest 207

Delia 208

Ariel Mancilla 210

Pedro Espinoza's Trip 210

The Cigarette Case 212

Leonardo Schneider, Alias "El Barba" 217

DINA Employee 219

"Marcos's" Escape 220

The Arrests of Ricardo Lagos, Exequiel Ponce, and Carlos Lorca Tobar 221

At the San Borja Towers 222

The 119 223

An Incident with Fuentes Morrison 224

Battle on Malloco Street 225

Christmas at Terranova 229

Patricio 230

Hasbun and Contreras 234

Testimony before the United Nations 234

Analyst at the Department of Intelligence 236

Edgardo Enriquez Espinoza 238

OAS Meeting in Chile 239

Carmelo Soria 240

The DINA behind Criminal Acts 240

My Son's Visit with His Father 241

National Intelligence School 244

After the National Intelligence School 253

"Chaty," Army Second Lieutenant 254

Uruguayan Identity 255

Change from the DINA to the CNI 257

Colonel Contreras 259

Contreras's Promotion to General 264

Contreras Is Replaced 267

Michael Townley 269

Farewell Reception at the General's House 270

Incident with Colonel Pantoja 272

Rolf Wenderoth's Resignation 273

Interval in San Antonio 275

The CNI Investigates the DINA 277

Another Meeting with Pantoja 278

Colonel Suau 279

The Trial and the Incident with Colonel Concha 281

In the CNI's Computer Unit 287

Peace and Instability 289

Letter of Resignation 294

Fragments of an Identity 297

Operation Celeste 300

An Incident at the Munchen Restaurant 303

Dolly's Place 304

Visitors from Chile 307

Trip to Santiago 310

Back to Montevideo 311

Return to Chile 313

Ricardo Ruz's Death 314

Meeting Juan Manuel 316

In Hiding Again 319

Pain and Happiness in My Family 319

Conversion and Father Gerardo 321

Father Jose Luis 324

Declaration before the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission 326

Carlos Fresno 330

Meeting with Erika and Viviana 332

In Europe 336

Above All a Christian 337

On Hatred and Reencounters 338

Gloria Olivares 340

The Chilean Bureau of Investigation 341

In the Courts 343

Encounter with Rolf Wenderoth Pozo 344

Encounters with Gerardo Urrich and Manuel Carevic 346

Basclay Zapata, Alias "El Troglo" 348

Fernando Lauriani 350

Miguel Krassnoff Martchenko 354

Face-to-Face with Marcelo Moren Brito 355

Encounter with Ricardo Lawrence Mires 357

Other Court Proceedings 358

Maria Alicia, Alias "Carola," Alejandra, and Luz 360

Dobra Lusic Nadal 363

"I Did Not Do This for Me Alone" 364

From Slavery to Freedom 365

How Can I Hate Someone Who Could Someday Be My Brother? 366

The Iron Fist 371.

Notes:

Includes index.

ISBN:

0299195503

0299195546

OCLC:

53096829