By IASP. 

Roberto Matta's mural is the tale of two sides of the same coin: the Chilean people's stubborn defiance, but also the ultimate failure of Pinochet's 27-year-dictatorship to erase our past. In fact, for thirty-five years, everyone speculated the complete destruction of the mural El Primer Gol del Pueblo Chileno (The First Scoring of the Chilean People") by Roberto Matta. Perhaps its very existence remained in doubt as so many other crimes committed by Pinochet. 

The Primer Gol del Pueblo Chileno is also fascinating as a project. Painted in 1971 to celebrate the first year of Salvador Allende's electoral triumph, the mural aims to commune with the people using their own language. Comic, graffiti, soccer, and maybe some erotic shapes -I wouldn't expect less from Matta. Local painters and neighbors were also involved.  Even the famous Brigada Ramona Parra ("BRP") took a main role as well. 

These murals also addresses the people with pedagogical purposes -which could also be labeled as Marxist propaganda, if you prefer. A true cultural war aimed to create the new man/woman for the times to come. Sooner than later, this artistic movement became part of another warfront in Chile known as La Nueva Cancion Chilena ("New Chilean Song Movement"), a movement with roots in the popular folklore together with a strong compromise with social change (and most likely, the best expression of Chilean music to this day). However, this artistic revolution was crushed when the Chilean Military took power in 1973.  

For instance, you will notice in the picture below the group children posing next to the mural. The reason? The mural was placed next to a public pool, so everyone could see Matta's work.

September 11, 1973. The coup d'etat settles the Military Junta in power, followed by the persecution of all forms of dissent, including art. The tragedy says that Manuel Ureta, the laborer in charge of erasing the painting, asked for forgiveness before starting the work. He has no choice. Still, he utilized low-quality materials to cover Matta's work, which never properly adhere to the original paints. This made the recovery efforts possible. Could this be another act of defiance? I like to think so, even if unconscious.  

Yet, the mural was forgotten and lost for almost 35 years.

In 2005, an investigation began on the wall, in which Matta's mural should have been placed. When the work started, no one knew if there would be any remains of the mural. What could be left after unveiling the multiple layers of paint? Ex-BRP members, friends of Matta, artists of the time, and even Manuel Ureta, the person who was ordered to destroy the mural, took part in the restoration efforts. Then, after rediscovering the mural, the work began on its repair.  In 2008, 95% percent of the mural was finally rescued and placed in one of the few cultural centers of the popular neighborhood of La Granja. 

The journey of this mural quite represents the relentless efforts of a dictator to change and erase the past, but as the hate of men will pass, truth always finds the way. It doesn't matter how many layers of cheap paint. Today, the mural stands as a remainder of defiance and freedom of expression in the Cultural Center Espacio Matta located in the very same neighborhood in which the mural was painted and remained hidden for so many years. Still, this time, displayed in plain sight.