Chilean museums unveil new photographic archives of military dictatorship era

Chilean institutions are unveiling new photographic archives documenting the country's military dictatorship (1973–1990).

The Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos has received 23 previously unknown photographs of the September 11, 1973, bombing of La Moneda. Captured from a Hawker Hunter aircraft, these images provide a rare perspective from the pilots during the attack on the presidential palace. The material was made available by antiquarian María Luisa Parés and The Union Films, with distribution facilitated by CIPER.

Separately, the Museo de Antofagasta is hosting an exhibition featuring digitized black-and-white negatives taken in northern Chile between 1983 and 1990. Much of this collection was captured by journalist Héctor Mérida and includes documentation of social protests, street marches, and repression in cities such as Arica, Calama, and Antofagasta. The archive highlights key moments of resistance, including protests against mining law reforms and the 1988 plebiscite.