This article was originally published in ArchDaily en Español last October 30, twelve days after the social crisis in Chile escalated. Some ideas of the analysis may feel outdated since some structural reforms were recently announced, but the author decided to keep the original spirit of the piece.
A 4 cent fair increase for the Metro in Santiago sparked mass fare-dodging protests in Chile starting on October 6. Alongside spontaneous street demonstrations, the protests spilled into widespread violence across Santiago during the following days until October 18. That day, the Metro network collapsed, the riots multiplied across the city, and looting and fires were out of control. That night, President Sebastian Piñera declared a state of emergency.
This social discontent took the streets of Santiago by surprise, but it was quickly realized that the fair increase was simply the last straw that broke the camel's back. The unrest finds itself in a society that has been holding back anger, felt rampant injustice, and suffered shocking inequity, with a growing economy whose wealth is nonetheless extremely poorly distributed. Last October 25, 1.2 million people gathered around Plaza Italia square, Santiago's symbolic center, to demonstrate the strength of the subversive social movement.
