Brigada Lautaro, Intelligence unit in Santiago, Chile
Brigada Lautaro was a specialized unit of the Chilean secret police DINA, operating from the Simon Bolivar headquarters in Santiago from August 1975. It reported directly to DINA director Manuel Contreras and carried out operations mainly across central Chile.
The unit was formed in April 1974, first as a protection detail for DINA leadership and military officials, before becoming an operational force. It remained active until the end of military rule in Chile.
The Simon Bolivar Memorial, opened in 2016, displays documents and testimonies that trace the unit's operations in detail. Visitors can look through archival material and get a direct sense of how the repression machinery worked in practice.
The Simon Bolivar memorial site is open to visitors who want to learn about this period of Chilean history. It is worth reading about the broader historical context beforehand so the exhibits and records are easier to follow.
The unit took its name from Lautaro, a 16th-century Mapuche leader known for resisting Spanish colonial rule. The use of this name by a state repression force is still seen as a historical contradiction.
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