Chile mass grave is a national monument now

Patio 29 came to symbolise the brutality of the era and its infamy was heightened by Pinochet’s grinning explanation why some coffins contained multiple bodies — to “save cemetery space.” After an uproar, Pinochet apologised.

Now, Chile’s government has recognised the historical importance of the grave site, declaring Patio 29 a national monument in July. The status means it has to be preserved, funded by the government and cannot be altered without a judge’s authorisation.

“This place has a tremendous symbolism for us,” said Gonzalo Munoz, a member of an association of relatives of dissidents who disappeared under Pinochet. “It provided the first evidence that many of those being arrested were later assassinated and illegally buried.”

A tour of the abandoned grave site is silent, save the crunching of broken glass and dead plants underfoot. There still scored of crosses marked NN — no name — and with a date stamped on it, general in the final four months of 1973.

The authorities believe there are no more bodies remaining there, but relatives of the victims say they are not sure. “There may be some others left, either in the Patio itself, or nearby,” Munoz said.

More than 1,000 detainees under Pinochet remain unaccounted for. Even now, decades after it served its bloody purpose, Patio 29 remains a centre of controversy.

Of the 96 bodies that officials were able to identify from the site, DNA tests carried out in 2005 and made public in April showed that 48 had been misidentified and 37 of the identifications were questionable — leaving families mourning at the wrong graves.

–LYGIA NAVARRO