Loanco; A Story of Give and Take with the Sea

Posted on November 12, 2014

With the first light of day the residents of the small fishing village of Loanco walked from where they had taken refuge a few hours earlier, over the hill to a spot…

Desolation; Gabriela Mistral…In English

Posted on October 10, 2014

The newly released first bilingual edition of Gabriela Mistral’s foundational collection of poetry and prose, Desolation, is sure to be a landmark in bringing Chile’s Nobel prize-winning poet closer to English speakers…

Chile’s Barros Luco

Posted on June 9, 2014

Today is National Barros Luco day in Chile. This Chilean version of a steak and cheese sandwich dates from the early 1900s, when President Ramon Barros Luco lunched regularly at the Confiteria…

Pichi Newen

Posted on April 3, 2014

  One night several years ago Luz Celia Lienqueo Castillo had a peuma…a type of dream the Mapuche believe is not just a vision but a type of premonition that must come…

Dichato and Jessica’s Mussels

Posted on March 27, 2014

About a year ago Pilar, the psychologist I met in Dichato where she is involved in community recovery programs with the most affected of the 2010 tsunami victims, told me “In ten…

It’s What Chile Wants

Posted on March 13, 2014

There is no more spectacular air flight than the one from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Santiago, Chile, a two-hour journey that begins over the muddy Rio de la Plata, continues over the…

Bachelet; Two more weeks to the “Big Show”!

Posted on February 26, 2014

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet Chilean President Michelle Bachelet So, the last time we talked about Chilean politics, Michelle Bachelet had just won handily the first election for president (November) and was campaigning…

Chilean Artisans

Posted on February 6, 2014

IMG_20131130_125106_897 Wool, clay, wood, metal, stone, and horse hair, all materials that are readily available in Chile, and hence they are the basis for most of traditional Chilean artisan products. Late last…