The other September 11th

What a strange month September is here. It is a whole month of springtime Fiestas Patrias - patriotic festivals based around dieciocho, the date of Chile's independence from Spain. This is followed by Army Day on the 19th. But counterpointed to these extravagant shows of national pride is the anniversary of the 1973 military coup d'etat overthrowing the world's first democratically elected marxist government of Salvador Allende.
A few demonstrations occur but they are usually violent and end up with fatalities, apparently one or two each year. Most people quietly finish work or classes early to be snug and safe, off the streets of the known volatile areas and then wait for the news reports to flow.

11 de Septiembre is also the name of one of the main east-west arterials of Santiago. I thought it was named as a sign of remembrance for the inauspicious date but it was given this name during the dictatorship years as a celebration of the date of the military takeover. Many people now use the street's original name, Avenida Nueva Providencia, as a sign of protest. Despite the distastefulness of keeping this street name today, it remains because the mayor of Providencia, who was an important part of the military governemnt, is the one person who has the authority to change it and he doesn't want to.