Valparaiso, Chile

(Wiens, n.d.)

My favorite city that I researched was Valparaiso Chile. I had the pleasure of visiting this city last year and fell in love with its charming murals that can be found everywhere. In my research, I learned the amazing history behind this city of murals and paintings. Murals in Valparaiso originated as a way for people to express their political opinions during the Chilean coup of 1973. During this time, Augusto Pinochet had overthrown the previous government and began ruling the country as an authoritarian dictator. Anyone who was caught speaking out against Pinochet in this time was either murdered, went missing or was taken to one of the many torture facilities that were set up all over the country. It goes without saying that expressing your political opinion was very dangerous during this time. Many murals were erased or painted over if they contained any messages that went against the government or military. The messages that were communicated through murals created a community of solidarity during those hard times in Chile. In 1990, democracy was finally restored in Chile and as a way to celebrate freedom of expression Valparaiso’s local government made public painting legal. Today the city is covered in murals, and the city encourages artists to leave their works of art in places where everyone can see and enjoy them.