An exhibit of color photographs from 1965,
taken by a casual tourist on the big island of Chiloé, Aysén and Magallanes.
Color film in that era was scarce and expensive. I had the honor of a faculty position at the Music Conservatory of the Austral University in Valdivia, Chile. Some friends invited me on a trip to the island of Chiloé in January 1965. The journey included travel in a small Cessna airplane from Puerto Montt to Castro, Chiloé. While on the island, I visited Castro, Ancud, Achao, and Chonchi. From there, a small cargo ship delivered me to Puerto Aysén. The only exit from Coyhaique was a DC-3 which flew south to Punta Arenas, on the Straits of Magellan. From there I returned north to Puerto Montt for a visit to the fish market at Angelmó, before returning to my home in Valdivia.
Typical transport of the time
This project of showing 30 photos from the collection was supported by the I. Municipalidad de Castro and Banco del Estado. The photos were prepared and mounted by Javier Areneda. I am indebted to Felipe Montiel, historian, author, and Director of the Regional Museum of Castro, for his persistence in mounting this project. Many thanks to Juan Carlos Pacheco in coordinating the exhibit.
1960 earthquake damage in Castro
The opening of a new photo exhibit was announced for Friday at 7:00pm. This was my first and probably only event of the kind, so I made the effort to travel to southern Chile in the cold of winter, August 2012. I had no idea what to expect of this event. So, like a typical gringo that I am, I arrived at the appointed time. Social events in Chile typically begin well after the announced hour. To my great surprise, I was the last to arrive, and was welcomed by local and regional government officials, and uniformed representatives of the Carabineros and the Navy. Sergio Colivoro, the leading accordionist of Chiloé, was invited to perform for the crowd, and dedicated his last song to me. I did three press and radio interviews and found my picture in the Sunday paper of Chiloé, La Estrella. About 100 people attended the opening.
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Sergio Colivoro
Recording an interview for the local radio
Children in Achao 1965
1 comment:
As someone who never visited Chiloé until the early 1990s, I found the photographs really enlightening. Well done, Roger.
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