Dr Pedro Beltran was born on a farm on December 3 or 4, 1903 or 1904. He said he was born at midnight so the day was not precise. Also his father waited a year or two to go register his birth and nobody is sure if he got the year right. There had been […]
When the cold and humid weather in the South of Chile was totally impossible to handle by my grandfather because of his arthritis, they had to move to a better climate. The task for my father, who already lived in Santiago, the capital, was to find a farm in the central valley of Chile where […]
Antonio’s parents, Floro and Clarita, had felt anxiety when they allowed him to travel to France. Anxiety, they thought, each in his/her own way, is the common denominator of being parents. It is like a curse that happens once infatuation is gone. The ardor of the first encounters. The great temptation. The satisfaction of desires. […]
The creature was gigantic and handsome and was wearing a light veil costume. She was hanging from a thin, flat, huge rectangular platform that she held with her hands. She was suspended in the air. Every tiny movement allowed her to move in any direction in the air. Antonio had been assigned to a Peruvian […]
That night my father was ordered to go pick up water from the well. He was about 7 years old. He got the bucket and started slowly toward the back patio. The door was difficult to open because of the humidity. After a little struggle the door opened with a long complaint. It was totally […]
José Manuel Emiliano Balmaceda Fernández was elected president by a coalition of more liberal political parties in 1886. His election was actively opposed by Conservatives. He was one of the most controversial figures in the history of Chile. As president, he had some achievements like the advancement of public education and health. Thousand kilometers of […]
When I was about 3 years old, I remember going to visit my paternal grandparents who lived on a farm. The farm was divided into several fields which were not next to each others. The name of that kind of noncontiguous property was Hijuelas, meaning something like isolated children, I guess. Near the house was […]
The Order of Saint Augustine is a mendicant order. It was founded in Rome in the 13th century. The Augustinians came to Chile in the late sixteenth century. The Mercedarians, Dominicans and Franciscans had come first. The Augustinians arrived in the port of Valparaíso in February 1595. The Order is known as the Augustinians Recollects. […]
The house had three patios. The first one had an ancient palm tree in the very middle that produced little coconuts all year round. (The city hall records showed the tree was 300 years old in the 1940’s. Palm trees are protected by law in Chile and cannot be cut without special and expensive permissions.) The […]
At our house in Santiago, we had a mailman who would ring the bell and deliver letters and receipts for packages. The man always looked tired and smelled like alcohol. In fact, some neighbors referred to him as “the pickle” meaning that he kept himself submerged in alcohol. But packages were not delivered. The mailman […]
An Ear by Mistake 
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