Villa Grimaldi, Memorial park in Peñalolén, Chile
Villa Grimaldi is a memorial park in the Peñalolén neighborhood of eastern Santiago. Walls engraved with names, gardens, fountains, and reconstructed detention cells cover the grounds spanning roughly one hectare.
The Chilean secret police operated this site as a detention center between 1974 and 1978, where roughly 4,500 political prisoners were interrogated. After its closure, authorities demolished most structures in an attempt to erase evidence of what happened here.
The name comes from a villa that stood on this site before being converted into a detention camp. Roses in the garden commemorate the women who died here, while willows symbolize the grief of what happened on this land.
The memorial park is located on Avenida José Arrieta 8401 and offers guided tours that explain the context and meaning of different areas. Visitors should be prepared for emotionally difficult content, as the exhibits address traumatic events.
A model of the original villa shows visitors the full layout of the former detention complex, since only foundations of the original buildings survive. The replica helps understand how large the compound once was and how the rooms were arranged.
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